Baldy View ROP budget information

A major element of the budget act was to provide districts with fiscal flexibility over categorical program funds for the next four years. The flexibility measure allows districts to utilize categorical funding for any educational purposes without having to offer categorical courses or services through the 2012-13 fiscal year. 

Language in the budget, as site on page 13 of the April 17, 2009 Fiscal Issues Relating to Budget Reductions and Flexibility Provisions memo, provided Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) authorization to abrogate contractual obligations and grants between state and local government agencies. The key wording is, "between state and local government agencies". JPAs do not have a contract with the state but with the participating LEAs, thus excluding all JPAs including Baldy View ROP from the flexibility provision as stated in the April 23, 2009 School Innovations and Advocacy (SIA), a leading educational advocacy organization in Sacramento and by School Services of California, Inc. in their May 1, 2009 Fiscal Report. 

The Baldy View ROP JPA clearly stipulates on page 7, section "g", "Fiscal Duties and Responsibilities", item 3, "Funding Formula", that JPAs shall receive in annual operating funds from each of the participating school districts an amount per unit of Average Daily Attendance (ADA), equal to the revenue limit received by such school districts for each unit of ADA generated in the regional occupational center or program. 

Item 4, "Transfer of Funds to BVROPTC" (Baldy View Regional Occupational Program and Technical Center) on page 8, specifies those participating districts residing in San Bernardino County authorize the County Superintendent of Schools to transfer to BVROPTC each district's revenue generated by ROP ADA. 

Item 5, "State Apportionments" states the amount of funds to be billed to Claremont District and the amount received from San Bernardino County for ADA shall be equal to the revenue limit per unit of ADA generated by students from said district attending Baldy View ROPTC.

Given the clarity of the JPA and the fact that the state budget act only applied to contracts between the state and LEAs, it is evident that the JPA is a binding contractual agreement and still the governing document for Baldy View ROP. 

Federal Stimulus Funding

The intent of the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was to fully restore K-12 education funding, including ROCPs, to its 2007-08 funding levels. For ROCPs this means federal funds were allocated to restore the entire 15.4% mid-year cut in state funding that was adopted in February. This funding will flow to the fiscal agency that received this state funding in 2008-09. 

For Baldy View ROP that means the funding went to participating districts. The specific amount of the Baldy View ROP generated funding forwarded to the participating districts equals $1,280,374, as outlined below and as found in the accompanying attachment for the California Department of Education:

The fact that the state in its SFSF report singled out ROCPs and Apprenticeship Programs from the 40 state categorical programs is an indication that the state acknowledges that both programs are required to earn their apportionment in the same manner as school districts, through the generation of ADA. The conclusion could be drawn that the state recognizes that given the cuts were incurred by these programs that the restoration of funding could be to these programs. 

Although the federal dollars are discretionary in nature and LEA's are not required to restore the cuts on a dollar-for-dollar basis, the restoration of these funds will allow Baldy View ROP to restore reductions such as, course offerings, classroom supplies and equipment, student services, staff development opportunities and partial staff compensation. 

We fully comprehend the economic challenges being faced by all educational entities, including Baldy View ROP. As a result, we request that each district designate these funds to Baldy View ROP so we can restore the highest level of services to the participating districts. 

It is for these reasons that we request that each district take formal action at an upcoming board meeting to show your continued support and commitment to the delivery of quality career preparation education provided to all students in order to build a knowledgeable and skilled workforce for the future.