Santa Cruz City Schools trustees have a tough job ahead of them in coming weeks: trimming their $60 million budget to the tune of $3.4 million.
Trustees of the Santa Cruz City School District have a hard job ahead of them over the next few weeks. Not only will they be trimming their Christmas trees, they’ll also be trimming their $60 million school budget to the tune of $3.4 million. The cuts, they say, are necessary, because of reduced state funding, but now the question is where they can cut.
It could mean more pink slips for staff, but that is likely to cause a fight with the various unions. So could the suggestion that employees take a five-day unpaid furlough, even thought that could save $1 million. Increasing class size, another common measure, could also raise at least $1 million, but that would likely result in a fight with both teachers and parents. Superintendent Gary Bloom wants to move $1.3 million in deferred maintenance funds into the general fund, but that means that schools will be unable to make many much-needed repairs.
It’s a lose-lose situation, but the trustees must tread carefully. No matter what they decide, they will have to leave room for yet another cut, expected midyear, this one to reduce an anticipated $6 billion state deficit. That deficit includes Proposition 98, which requires the state to spend 40 percent of its general fund on schools. This year, that could come to $1 billion. With the budget what it is, the State Legislature could vote to suspend or delay payment this year.
This leaves the trustees and legislators with a dilemma: do they cut back on education or balance the budget? As everyone is starting to realize, they can’t have it both ways. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
