Superintendent Bill Fishbough
This week, I presented the HJUHSD Board with a summary of our planned budget changes for next year and an estimate of additional spending cuts that will still need to be made.As you know, we are anticipating a $2.5 million cut to our State funding this year. In addition, we are anticipating increased salary costs (contracted step and column increases) of $400,000 for 2010-2011. That leaves us with a total expected deficit of $2.9 million for the coming year.
Our proposed changes to date are to:
- Move $1 million from the Adult School Fund to the General Fund.
- These funds are normally earmarked for Adult School use only. But, to help ease the budget burden on schools, the State removed the restrictions on these funds through 2013
- The Hanford Adult School currently receives about $1.6 million in state funding as well as about $200,000 in federal funds. In addition, some the Adult School programs are fee based and self-sustaining, such as the Nursing Education and Welding programs. We will continue to run as many programs as we can reasonably provide with the funds and staffing that we can maintain. But several programs will likely be cut back or eliminated.
- As a result of these cuts, the board has approved the elimination of 5 full-time-equivalent teaching positions at Hanford Adult School. Additional non-teaching staffing changes may also be necessary as we make decisions as to what programs we will be able to support.
- Eliminate 14 teaching positions at the high schools.
- This figure was reached by calculating the number of teachers needed to serve students with all classes filled to contracted maximums and will reduce spending by $980,000.
- Eliminate 3 counseling positions at the high schools.
- The State had provided additional funding specifically to increase high school counseling a few years ago. HJUHSD used those funds to increase our counseling staff. These funds are now available for unrestricted general use. This will save $210,000.
- Elimination/reorganization of site administration positions.
- The Earl F. Johnson High School/Hanford Night Continuation High School Principal position will be vacant at the end of this school year. The Hanford Adult School Principal will become principal of Earl F. Johnson High School. He will also continue to administer programs at HAS. As we will be running minimal programs at the Adult School, administrative duties there will be greatly reduced. The most time-consuming administrative duties will pertain to the Nursing Program, which is required by law to have its own Nursing Director to oversee it (funded by the program).
- The Director of Special Education, who was also the half-time HAS Assistant Principal this year, will continue to oversee Special Education and also serve as the Hanford Night Continuation Principal.
- The Hanford West Learning Director will move to Sierra Pacific High School. The Hanford High School Learning Director will move to Hanford West High School. That will leave an Assistant Principal and a Learning Director at Hanford West and two Assistant Principals at Hanford High, with the understanding that when an Assistant Principal position is vacated, it will be replaced with a Learning Director.
- All of these administrative changes total a savings of about $476,000.
- Eliminate several District administrative positions.
- The Director of Student Services position will be vacant at the end of this school year and the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services position will be vacant as of the end of the calendar year. We will not refill those positions. Instead we will create a new Director position to handle some of those duties. The remaining responsibilities will be moved to the Superintendent, and Assistant Superintendent.
- The Director of Transportation position will be vacant at the end of the school year. We will not refill that position. Instead, the Director of Maintenance will become the Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation, overseeing both departments.
- The Data Services Manager position will be eliminated. The Data Services Manager salary and benefits this year are budgeted at $105,000. This cost will be eliminated. We will create a new classified Network Technician position for which salary and benefits are expected to be $79,000. The net savings is $26,000.
- The Coordinator of Communications position will be eliminated. The total salary and benefits budgeted for this position this year was $79,000. As part of the restructuring of the IT Department, a new classified position is being created for which salary and benefits are expected to be about $79,000. This new position will work with online media, student data systems, external communication and the three end-user IT support technicians. While overall budget is a concern, the changes to the IT department are not so much about cutting costs as about altering HOW we are spending the dollars we have to better serve our schools.
- Two other vacant positions – a payroll clerk and a custodian – will not be filled, for a reduction of $116,000.
- A four-hour receptionist position may be re-instated at a cost of $25,000. This is a placeholder position. I hope that we won't need to fill this position and that current staff will be able to handle all phone calls, walk-ins and afternoon sub-coordination issues. But, with the cuts to personnel and shifting of duties that will be happening at the District Office, I want to make sure that our customer service - including service to our own staff - will not fall to unacceptable levels. As we see how all of our cuts and changes play out, I will make a final decision as to whether or not to fill this position. Until then, it's best to budget the funds and not need them then vice versa.
- Cut $35,000 each from the Hanford High School and Hanford West High School athletic budgets.
- HHS and HWHS received about $300,000 each for athletics last year. Sierra Pacific High School received $75,000 for athletics last year. These funds are used to pay coaching stipends, Transportation, and Supplies. This year, HH and HW will have $265,000 to spend on athletics and SP will be allocated up to $125,000. We have allocated increasing funds for SP for the next few years as the school population grows, to eventually bring it up to the level of the other comprehensive sites.
I am working with managers and staff to explore additional ways to reduce spending in 2010-2011 to balance the budget.
I have appreciated many of the suggestions that have come to me through our online Budget Feedback Form and other communications with staff, students, parents and community members. If you have additional savings suggestions or questions about the decisions that have been made so far, I encourage you to use the Budget Feedback Form to share them. I will continue to read and consider every suggestion personally.
None of these are easy decisions. These are extremely tough times and there are no “bright spots” in this planning process. But the focus on educating our students must remain unchanged. Despite the reduction in our resources, we are still responsible for providing the best educational experience possible for every student. I know these changes will make that job harder, but I have faith that our staff can rise to the challenge.
As always, I will do my best to keep you posted of news and decisions affecting our budget as they occur.
