Budget Update: March 24, 2010

Superintendent Bill Fishbough

Last night, I presented to the Board two more pieces of our 2010-2011 spending plan. Specifically, we discussed planned cuts to non-teaching staff and to athletic spending.

As you know, HJUHSD expects to get about $2.5 million less in funding this year from the State. We have planned a variety of cuts to administration, staffing and programs to meet these budget cuts. A summary of those budget plans are available below.

CLASSIFIED POSITIONS

Part of those budget-balancing plans included a cut of $1 million to funding for the Hanford Adult School. As a result of those cuts, we will be eliminating the following Classified (non-teaching) staff positions at Hanford Adult School:

• 1 full-time Instructional Aide
• 1 full-time Clerk 1
• 1 part-time Food Service Aide
• 1 part time Food Service 1

We will also eliminate 1 part-time Instructional Aide from the Opportunity Program at HHS.
In addition to these cuts, we have already eliminated from next year’s budget two currently vacant positions: A Payoll Clerk and a Custodian.

ATHLETICS

I am also proposing the following spending cuts to athletic budgets for 2010-2011:

From HHS:

• 2 Football Assistant Coaching Stipends
• 2 Wrestling Assistant Coaching Stipends
• 2 Boys Volleyball Coaching Stipends (Suspending program)
• 1 Diving Coaching Stipend (Suspending program)

From HWHS:

• 2 Football Assistant Coaching Stipends
• 1 Wrestling Assistant Coaching Stipend
• 1 Track Assistant Coaching Stipend
• 2 Boys Volleyball Coaching Stipends (Suspending program)
• 1 Diving Coaching Stipend (Suspending program)

These cuts total just under $50,000. Athletic Transportation budgets will also be cut by $5,000 at each school.

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Budget Update: March 10, 2010

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.

If and when all of these changes are made, the net difference to our annual budget is projected to be just over 2.8 million, leaving us with a deficit of $96,000.

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.

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Budget Update: February 19, 2010

Superintendent Bill Fishbough

On Tuesday, I will bring three pieces of our 2010-2011 budget planning to the Board of Trustees: Reductions in certificated staff; reductions in administration; and a revised Early Retirement Incentive program.

TEACHERS & COUNSELORS

As I said in my last message, we will be eliminating 14 9th through 12th grade teaching positions for the coming year by ensuring all classes are filled to the contracted maximums.

New on the Board agenda next week will be the proposed elimination of 3 counseling positions and a reduction of 5 Adult School teaching positions. The Board will be considering approval of the resolution affirming the reduction of services this week.

If the certificated positions (excluding Adult School) are eliminated, the cuts total approximately $1.2 million dollars, or 7 percent, compared to the current year.

ADMINISTRATION

I will also be proposing the following administrative changes to the Board.

Earl F. Johnson Continuation High School Principal Clinton Williamson has requested to return to teaching. Hanford Adult School Principal Gary Marr will serve as Principal of both the Adult School and EFJ.

Director of Curriculum and Student Services Leslie Steffen and Director of Transportation Jim Black will both retire at the end of the school year. Assistant Superintendent Tim Smith will retire in December. To save money, these positions will not be replaced. Additionally, Maintenance Director Bruce Pickering will become Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Director.

Ward Whaley, who is currently an Assistant Principal at Hanford West High, will take over a new Director position at the District Office to oversee Human Resources and other services.

Dorothy Crass will oversee Special Education, EL and Migrant Services and serve as Hanford Night Continuation Principal.

The other central services that were managed by Mr. Smith and Ms. Steffen will be absorbed into the duties of the Superintendent’s Office and Assistant Superintendent of Business Services.

At the comprehensive high schools, Learning Director Janice Ede will move from Hanford West High School to Sierra Pacific High School. Learning Director Darin Parsons will move from Hanford High School 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 if/when an Assistant Principal position is vacated, it will be replaced with a Learning Director.

All of these administrative cuts and changes total $581,471, or 22 percent, compared to the current year.

EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE

We have received word from our attorneys that the Early Retirement Incentive approved by the Board earlier this month is not in compliance with the current mandates of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) because it offers different levels of compensation to retiring employees based upon age.

To comply with changes to the law, I will be recommending to the Board the deletion of the current out-of-compliance Board Policy, rescind the original Early Retirement Incentive offer it made last month, and approve a revised Early Retirement Incentive offer. The timeline for qualified staff to take advantage of the incentive would be unchanged.

Again, I want to remind staff that these are the first phase of cuts – those that need to be approved by the board before March 15.

I will be meeting with the District Budget Committee March 2 to discuss additional proposals for changes and savings and I will continue to keep you posted as decisions are made.

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Budget Update: February 11, 2010

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.

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Budget News: Governor's Proposal, January, 2010

Superintendent Bill Fishbough

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger presented his State Budget proposal this month, including cuts of more than $1.4 billion to public education.

Specifically, the Governor is proposing an ongoing cut to “administrative” or “non-instructional” funds of $1.2 billion as well as a negative Cost of Living Adjustment of -.38 percent, which equals another $202 million in school funding cuts.

For the Hanford Join Union High School District, this will mean a cut of about $1 million in funding.

In addition, the 2010-2011 proposed budget includes an ongoing cut from the 2009-2010 school year that equals another $1.5 million in cuts for HJUHSD.

That’s a total of $2.5 million in funding cuts for our school district for 2010-2011.

We know that some of the Governor’s proposed figures will change between now and the time the legislature actually adopts a State Budget for 2010-2011. But, given the current economic climate, it’s unlikely that the school funding situation will improve.

Another factor that could affect HJUHSD spending this year is the possibility of declining enrollment.
Because schools are funded in part based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA) of students, more students equals more dollars from the State. This year, for the first time, HJUHSD is projecting a possible decrease in student enrollment – which would, in turn, lead to a decrease in State funding.

Last year, HJUHSD budgeted to spend about $30 million in General Fund money. A cut of more than $2.5 million is a cut of about 8% of our spending compared to the current year.

It will be a huge challenge to cut that much, especially when you consider the fact that approximately 80% of our budget is spent on salaries and benefits. It’s just not possible to cut that much and not “feel” it in our day-to-day operations.

I am working closely with our school administrators to identify changes that can be made to balance our budget. We will present a list of potential budget reductions to the Board of Trustees in February.

As we examine all of our programs and expenses, I would appreciate the input of our staff, students, parents and other partners.

If you have a specific idea or suggestion or question regarding 2010-1011 budget planning, please take a moment to fill out the Budget Feedback Form to share your opinion.

As the news from Sacramento and about our local plan develops, I will work to keep you all updated on changes and decisions.

Despite the difficult decisions and changes ahead, I want to assure you that our District goals remain unchanged. Our top priority, always, is the academic success of our students. While these budget cuts will no doubt create new challenges, our focus will not falter.


Governor's January Budget Proposal and Impact on HJUHSD

On Jan. 8, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled his spending plan for 2010-2011. Under the plan HJUHSD would lose $2.5 million in state funding. The Governor has proposed the following elements as part of his budget:

Governor’s Proposal: A NEGATIVE cost of living adjustment (COLA) of  -.38%
Impact on HJUHSD: Equals a loss of $100,000 in funding for HJUHSD

Governor’s Proposal: $1.2 billion reduction in revenue limit funding for districts. The Governor has suggested this cut be limited to “central administrative functions” or “non-instructional” costs, but has not defined those terms at this time. Also proposed is $300 million in savings statewide by easing restrictions on school districts' ability to contract for services.
 Impact on HJUHSD: Equals a loss of $900,000 in funding for HJUHSD

Governor’s Proposal: An ongoing deficit factor of 18.355% in funding for all schools (carried over from 2009-2010 and planned to continue each year until the state deficit is corrected).
 Impact on HJUHSD: Equals a loss of $1.5 million in funding for HJUHSD

Estimated total impact for HJUHSD: A $2.5 million reduction in funding

LAST YEAR’S BUDGET CUTS: 2009-2010

There’ve been some questions about budget cuts made LAST YEAR. As a reminder, the initial State budget cuts for 2009-2010 were $1.8 million for our district.

In addition to several operational changes to help reduce spending, we made the following changes last year:
Administration

• Cut the Director of Special Education position from full-time to a half-time.
• Cut the Hanford Adult School Assistant Principal position from full-time to a half-time.
• Eliminated the Hanford Night Continuation Principal position.

Teaching Staff

• Modified the Contract between teachers and the District to increase class size limits and to eliminate an extra non-teaching period for some ag teachers
• Eliminated 10 teaching positions. Some were resignations that were not filled, some were non re-hires and some were “pink-slip” layoffs.

Non-Teaching Staff

• Eliminated one Bus Driver position
• Eliminated one Mechanic position
• Reduced the Career Center Technicians at HHS and HWHS by two hours per day each
• Eliminated two clerical positions at the District Office (Part-time Receptionist, Full-time Human Resources Clerk)

Mid-year, the State made additional cuts, totaling $2.5 million for HJUHSD ($1.5 million in “ongoing” cuts and $1 million designated as a “one-time” cut). We balanced the mid-year funding deficit by taking advantage of the “flexibility” offered by the state to use previously “restricted” funds.

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