Budget woes are now common for Morgan Hill Unified School District. Yet with larger class sizes, furlough days and a smaller teaching staff, the district is now starting to run out of places to cut.
Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini, who is the bearer of bad news when it comes to cuts for the district, attended the School Services of California last week to learn what the governor’s proposed budget means for MHUSD.
The outcome doesn’t look so bright: about $2 million in proposed cuts for the district, $1.5 million of that coming from the 100 percent reduction in transportation costs. That’s after the trigger cuts in December that took away 50 percent of transportation funds, or $750,000. Buses transport 2,060 students in MHUSD.
Tognazzini voiced concerned that MHUSD’s transportation hit will have a larger impact on the school district because of its larger district, roughly 350 square miles and less students than other districts.
“We’re a large district in land, but not large in population,” she said. “So the decision will have to be made, are we going to cut other services and other programs in order to maintain the (transportation) program at its current state? Will we look at reducing transportation services for just various age groups or various distances?”
Vice president of the school board, Don Moody, also understands that the large distance that school buses must travel plays a factor.
“It’s a tough one because our school district mileage is so huge,” he said. “We haven’t started talking about it yet, but we’re looking for ways to reduce the cost, or services could be reduced. I suppose fees could go up as well. In an extreme case, you could have transportation to a specific service cut – such as middle school or high school.”
The district is required to provide transportation to special education students and those who transferred because their original school was in Program Improvement and chose to move from one school to another. Students who receive free and reduced lunches may also qualify for similar services for the bus system. Rates for other families range from as low as $310 for an annual fee for one child to $680 for an annual pass for three children. Revenue is at about $250,000 per year, which does not cover the cost of transportation, said Tognazzini.
Last fiscal year, the district set aside $260 per pupil, which they received mostly through class reductions of 29 students to one teacher for kindergarten through third grade classes. The district also took a non-instructional furlough day in October that saved them $250,000.
MHUSD currently receives about $5,210 per pupil from the state in ADA, which is lower than the state average of 5,228.
Since the actual mid-year trigger cuts from last year came to $13 reduction per pupil, the district still has been ‘sitting’ on those funds, said Tognazzini. If the $370 per pupil is in the adopted budget this summer, the district will have to make up for the difference which is about $500,000 to $600,000 total.
“The dilemma with almost every district in the state is that they have increased their class sizes, they cut their classified staff down, some of them have rolled back benefits, and then furlough days. So there’s not much left to go over after for those kinds of dollars,” said Tognazzini.
School districts are required to have 3 percent in reserves; MHUSD currently has closer to 6 percent. Yet dipping into those funds has been something the district has avoided.
“There’s a perception that you aren’t doing your job well. So we’re very protective of [the reserves],” said Tognazzini.
Another change in budget comes from the Cost of Living Adjustment to be 3.7 percent, which would raise the Average Daily Attendance per student the district receives. Tognazzini says they’re giving districts something with one hand, and taking it away with the other.
“They’re going to take that 3.7 and give us 78 cents for every dollar. Right now we’re only getting 80 cents for every dollar. So they give us this cost of living, and they take it away with the other hand,” she said.
Another change that may come to MHUSD is through its transitional kindergarten program or ‘Preppy-K.” Current law will make 5 the minimum required age to enter kindergarten. This fall students must be 6 by at least November. A Preppy-K class is to prepare children whose fifth birthdays fall between September and December, giving them two years essentially to pass kindergarten.
The proposed cut eliminates funding for the Preppy-K extra year of class, of which the district currently has in its pilot stages at El Toro Elementary School this year with 26 students. The district has the option to let in those students that won’t turn 5 until December into normal kindergarten, but they would not receive ADA funding until their fifth birthday.
Tognazzini warned the school trustees last week at the school board meeting that January is a time for the worst-case scenario for the fiscal year before the May revise budget is announced. Current projections are rough estimations she said, with more specifications to come when the district’s budget committee takes a closer look at the proposed budget.
“We know this is a moving target, we don’t know if this is going to remain the same,” she said.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget cuts means for MHUSD:
– $2 million in cuts to MHUSD
– $1.5 million or 100 percent in transportation funds for schoolbuses cut
– $370 per pupil reduction
– 78 cents per every dollar the state owes MHUSD in COLAfunds
