School is out, the sun is out and the state is out of money. Not
much is new this summer in Morgan Hill as the school district moves
tonight to prepare for the worst case scenario and adopt a budget
that pads itself with $2.2 million from categorical funds into a
flexible fund.
School is out, the sun is out and the state is out of money. Not much is new this summer in Morgan Hill as the school district moves tonight to prepare for the worst case scenario and adopt a budget that pads itself with $2.2 million from categorical funds into a flexible fund.
The school board will vote tonight at 6 p.m. to adopt its 2010-2011 budget that balances a $2.9 million deficit and is ripe with cuts across the board, particularly a reduction to summer school classes and an increase in elementary class sizes. Permanent teacher layoffs were avoided entirely after the district offered a $20,000 incentive for eligible teachers to retire.
Since 2008, the district has reduced spending by $11.9 million with layoffs of teachers and staff, scaling back summer school and increasing class sizes from 20 students to one teacher to 24 to one.
In the fall, class sizes will balloon to 24 students to one teacher in kindergarten to third grade classes. It’s a ratio that will likely increase to 30 to one teacher next year if the school board accrues more debt.
Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini has said at past school board meetings that 2011-2012 will be the hardest year for MHUSD with an expected deficit of $6 million.
The state is facing a $19.1 billion deficit and its final budget revise is expected later this summer. The school board’s $7.9 million budget was reduced overall by 3 percent to allow for economic uncertainty at the state level.
