Superintendent Bill Fishbough
This week, the HJUHSD Board approved an Early Retirement Incentive Program for certificated staff for this year.This Board has not advocated such programs in the past because it felt the financial savings did not outweigh the loss of experienced teachers. However, the Trustees said they were willing to consider this option because of the extreme financial challenges facing our schools this year.
Unfortunately, the ongoing funding cuts from the State are so massive that an Early Retirement program is only the tip of the iceberg.
I am currently working with school and district administration to create a plan to cut our spending by at least $2.5 million to bring our budget into balance.
The State has suggested some “flexibility” in spending designed to help schools absorb cuts to the General Fund, and we are looking at ways to take advantage of that flexibility.
It is my goal to make the necessary cuts in a way that impacts teaching and learning as little as possible. But, there is no doubt that cuts this large will be felt district-wide. There is just no way around that.
On February 23, I will make my first budget recommendations to the Board. I will be recommending a reduction of 14 teaching positions for 2010-2011. We will make these cuts by ensuring that all classes are filled to the contracted class sizes.
Staffing reductions are not the only step we need to take to balance the budget. But staffing changes have to be one of our first steps because, by State law, we have to give notice to certificated staff by March 15 if their positions will be cut in the next school year.
I will be meeting with affected staff members personally in the coming weeks. It is my hope that we may not have to follow through on every “pink slip” we issue. But, at this time, we have to act conservatively and plan for the facts as we know them.
Following that first round of staffing decisions, I will be bringing to the Board more detailed plans affecting classified and administrative staffing and other changes to school and district spending.
I appreciate your patience during this difficult time. And I appreciate the input that I’ve received from staff, parents and others about budget planning. I’ve received several good suggestions about ways to save money and cut spending through our online Budget Feedback Form.
I’ve also received some questions about last year’s budget cuts. You can find a summary of last year’s budget cuts can be found below.
Again, as we make decisions affecting next year’s budget, I will continue to keep you updated. If you have a specific suggestion or question, please use our Budget Feedback Form to share it.
