Recently in Budget Crisis Category

By Aileen Yoon

We've seen the enormous class sizes, we've seen the dramatic reduction in teachers, and we've seen the number of programs that are being funded gradually less and less. However, what most people don't see going on at our schools are the minuscule things that happen behind the scenes. The things that most people look past because they are a part of every day life. Sure, the budget cuts have affected our classes and programs, but I don't think many people realize that the work that goes into making our school cleaner is also slowly being cut.

After two months of laborious work to try and publish our newspaper with limited funds, I was relieved when we finally were able to put the North Wind into students' and teachers' hands. Like with every issue I have been a part of as a staff member, I was twitching at the sight of the errors we had made, but I also felt like I had a huge burden lifted off of my shoulders. As I was listening to all the comments and criticisms my peers had for the paper, there was one comment that really caught my attention. One of the North High custodians, Chris Johnson, approached me and complemented me on a budget cuts story that I had written for the opinion section of our paper. But then he asked me, "Do you know about all the other cuts that are happening around campus?" Puzzled by what he meant, I curiously sat and listened to his side of the story.

I learned that in the midst of all the teachers and programs being cut, custodial staff and supplies are also on the line of getting the ax. Not only are the custodians in danger of losing their jobs, but necessities such as toilet paper may be supplied less and less. Toilet Paper! At first I was skeptical. How could the district want to cut something like toilet paper? According to Johnson, it costs about $12,000 for toilet paper for the whole year. That is an enormous number that I don't think most people are aware of. In addition, North High's custodial staff is dwindling. This year, we only have two custodians; half the number we had last year. Also, because of all the cuts, Johnson even used his campus Ecology Club's funds to buy wood for desks that needed to be fixed. The solution to this seems simple: take care of our school supplies and resources. However, hundreds of dollars and hours of time are wasted because students just do not know how to respect their school anymore.

It was then that I realized how much our schools were being impacted by the budget cuts. The need for money is so crucial in schools - not only just in the Torrance Unified School District, but in districts all over California. It's one thing to have luxuries and excess programs cut from the schools, but when it starts infringing on basic, personal necessities, it shows that there truly is a problem.

Unfortunately, not many students realize how much our schools are affected by all of these cuts. If only they would realize the impact the budget cuts have on even the simplest of necessities, some of these issues can be dealt with. As a student journalist, it is my job to get this information out to my peers and make them aware of the fact that if our economy does not turn around, our future is at stake. It is our future that can make a difference and change our society for the better. We as students just need to take the steps to learn to work around the budget. But more and more, with all the deficits and apathy among my peers, that future now seems so far away.

Aileen Yoon is a senior at North High School in Torrance and the editor-in-chief of the school's student-run newspaper, the North Wind.

From City News Service:

LOS ANGELES - In the face of a multimillion-dollar
budget deficit, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent
Ramon Cortines ordered an immediate hiring freeze today and cut other
expenses, including travel, conferences and food at district
meetings.

The only exceptions to the hiring freeze will be for classroom
teachers, principals, assistant principals and some other school-based
personnel, according to the district. Cortines said the district is
facing an estimated $50 million to $60 million deficit this year and a
possible $480 million deficit for the 2010-11 school year.

Students and faculty members continue to protest the 32 percent fee increase expected to be approved by the University of California Board of Regents today.

UC police have arrested 14 people associated with the on-campus protest.

If approved, undergradute fees would soar above $10,000.

UCLA's student-run newspaper, the Daily Bruin, has live streaming video of the UC Board of Regents meeting.

The 2010-11 budget calls for $884 million in state funding.

From the Los Angeles Times:

The budget plan requests $305 million to restore one-time cuts imposed in 2009-10; $283 million to restore money for collective bargaining agreements not funded in 2008-09 and 2009-10; and $296 million for mandatory cost and compensation increases and improvements in student services and instruction.

Unprecedented funding cuts hitting California have had wide-spread ramifications on the state's public school system, including increased class sizes, fewer resources for students and more canceled classes, according to a report released Tuesday by the Education Coalition.

According to the press release, although education only represents 40 percent of the state budget, California public schools have been subjected to 60 percent of the cuts.

Today's report comes from Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Parents at the school, frustrated with the lack of money for student programs, came up with a new idea to raise funds after last year's chocolate sale flopped: The school would sell test points to children. For example, 20 points could be bought for $20 and students could add 10 points to two tests of their choice.

"Last year they did chocolates, and it didn't generate anything," Principal Susie Shepherd said.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the idea was nixed after a report of the proposed fundraiser was published in the The News & Observer.

Here's more on the cash-for-grades fundraiser.

Lauded as an event 40 years in the making, city and school officials from Torrance shared the stage to discuss the state of their respective agencies and outline potential areas of collaboration in an attempt to cut costs.

"This is a first step in a long process, but I think we owe it to the citizens to be innovative," said Don Lee, a member of the Torrance Unified Board of Education and a former city councilman. "There's a lot of possibilities, and I'm excited about the possibility of providing a better product to our citizens."

As far as anyone could remember, it was the first time in four decades that members of the Torrance City Council and Torrance Unified Board of Education gathered to hold a joint meeting.

Like many cities and school districts across the state, the two governing bodies have been reeling with funding losses and are looking for ways to trim operating expenses.

At the public meeting, which was held Monday evening at the Torrance Cultural Arts center, officials spoke about possible areas where the two organizations could work together and share expenses, including running co-elections and sharing the use of city-owned and district-owned facilities. Among them are the city's cultural arts center and a potential gymnasium at the new Hull Middle School. The school is under construction and expected to open in 2011.

The two agencies already share some services. The city provides crossing guards to district schools and a school resource officer for each high school. High school swim teams use the Benstead Plunge Swimming Pool for practices and the city has donated video cameras for use in the district's board room. Maintenance services are also shared, including field mowing and tree trimmining.

In an attempt to downplay worries among service employee groups of layoffs, council and board members stated numerously that jobs were not at stake, despite talk of potentially combining services.

"We are in charge of educating the children and the city is in charge of providing essential services," said board member Mark Steffen. "The goal is to save dollars, and not at the expense of employees."

Nearly $27 million in state funding has been cut from Torrance Unified's budget the past two years.

"The school district is in more dire straits than the city," board president Al Muratsuchi said. "We're looking at every dollar we can get to keep the cuts outside the classroom and away from the kids."

The potential savings that could be had by holding joint elections came up several times throughout the evening. Typically, council elections are held in March while board of education elections are held in November.

The Nov. 3 election cost the district $280,000. Councilman Patrick Furey called the sum " agross waste of money."

"It's hideous that we'd go on this way and have a separate election system," he added.

The district hasn't been alone in their financial difficulties. Sales tax revenue in the city is down 20 percent.

Mayor Frank Scotto called that number a "serious hit."

As the meeting came to and end, board member Terry Ragins commented on a lack of dialog she said was once perceived in the community between members of the council and board of education.

"When I came on the board six years ago, there was friction," Ragins said. "It wasn't just perceived, it was there."

But throughout the evening, officials commended each other for reaching out and vowed to continue talks.

"This discussion tonight it the beginning of a discussion that will last a couple of years," Scotto said.

Now, the next step: City staff members will develop an "action list" within 90 days of six to 10 potential areas of collaboration.

And the nations largest public university system is looking to cut more. Spring admissions have already been eliminated and university officials are expected to ask Sacramento lawmakers to restore $804 million in lost funding. The California State University Board of Trustees is expected to vote on an annual budget Nov. 17. If funding is not restored by the state, fee increases, program cuts and more faculty furloughs could be implemented.

Overall, university officials said they are looking to trim enrollment by 40,000 students across the 23-campus system.

Here's an article about how students are responding at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

And here's the press release from the Chancellor's Office.

Turns out, most of the jobs coming out of that $787 billion stimulus bill signed into law last February were in education. More than 325,000 school jobs were either created or saved, and most belonged to teachers, according to data released Friday by the White House. The Federal Stimulus Package allocated more than $100 billion for education.

University of California police arrested 14 demonstrators outside a Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, authorities said today.

The group was protesting cuts to employee salaries, layoffs, and student fee increases.

Each demonstrator was cited for trespassing and unlawful assembly and released.

The Contra Costa Times has more on the incident.

* The demonstrators were mostly UC Union Employees and students may be faced with a 15 percent fee increase. The Associated Press has an update.

California lawmakers have brought back a bill that would prevent pay raises for CSU and UC executives during years when university finances are tight.

The bill - SB86 - was proposed by Sen. Leland Yee, D- San Francisco.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

The earlier version died in the Assembly's Appropriations Committee after objections from CSU and University of California officials.

"It doesn't make good economic sense when money is tight for the public universities to increase compensation for executive officers, while furloughing faculty and reducing their salaries," said Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, who chairs the Assembly Education Committee. "Everyone must do their share of shouldering the burden of tight times."

CSU executives covered under the new bill include the chancellor, vice chancellors, general counsel and presidents of CSU's 23 campuses. In all, about 30 people would be affected, said Clara Potes-Fellow, a university spokeswoman.

University officials have argued that raises and fatter perks are approved only when executives take on new duties or are newly hired at something close to market rate. They have also pointed out that top executives have cut their own pay as part of system wide furloughs at CSU, and as part of non-union furloughs at UC.

From City News Service:

A judge has denied a request by a group of California State University students seeking to block a 20-percent student fee hike while their case winds through court.

At a hearing Monday, Judge Peter Busch ruled against a preliminary
injunction on the fee increase for the 23-campus system. He also
previously denied a temporary restraining order that would have
frozen the undergraduate fees.

Students are paying $4,827 for this school year.

The Board of Trustees approved the 20 percent increase in July after
approving a 10 percent increase in May to help offset a steep drop in
state funding.

The students argue the second fee hike amounts to a breach of
contract because the university had told students they could enroll
at the lower fee level.

CSU argues it gave students enough notice that fees were subject to
change.

From the San Francisco Chronicle: A San Francisco judge refused Monday to block a 20 percent fee increase for California State University students immediately, but scheduled a hearing in two weeks on whether to overturn the new charges.

Help is on the way.

Just two weeks after state lawmakers agreed on a budget that cuts up to $9 billion from public education, California State Senator Gloria Romero said schools in desperate need of additional funding will benefit from the accelerated disbursement of federal stimulus funds.

Romero (D-Los Angeles) is the chair of the Senate Education Committee.

You may recall Romero announcing several days ago the state senate would hold hearings later this month to determine if a California law crafted in 2006 governing the use of student test scores in order to qualify for federal education money needs to be changed.

On a related note, a report released in April by the Public Policy Institute of California found nearly 60 percent of California residents believe the state's education system is in need of major changes.

Here's an Associated Press article examining how the California budget cuts are affecting higher education. It was published yesterday.

From the story:

The UC and CSU systems will receive about 20 percent less funding than they did two years ago.

"It's a really dramatic shift to what was once one of the most progressive higher education systems in the world," said John Aubrey Douglass, a higher education expert at UC Berkeley. "It takes a long time to build these institutions, but they can be ripped apart very quickly, and then it's really hard for them to recover."

The UC system, which has about 220,000 students, is raising student fees by 9 percent, reducing freshman enrollment by 6 percent and cutting at least $300 million from the budgets of its 10 campuses.

Enrollment at CSU will be cut by 40,000 over the next two years.

Last week, CSU employees agreed to take furloughs to help offset the university system's $584 million shortfall.

Voters in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District should mail their ballots Thursday or Friday, at the latest, to ensure they arrive by Tuesday's mail-only election deadline.

Here's some background on Measure V, the $165 parcel tax, which would raise $3.3 million per year for the high-achieving school district. It comes on top of an existing $209 tax. Both would sunset in 2013.

The district has cut some $6 million from its budget since the state Legislature ordered broad cuts to education with its February budget. The governor's newest budget proposal -- which seems to be losing out to the budget committee's version -- would cut more than $6 million more, district officials have said.

More than 200 employees have received pink slips. District Superintendent Walker Williams said "several dozen" teachers could be rehired if the ballot measure passes.

But Measure V comes at a time when many of the district's 41,229 registered voters (according to the county registrar) are feeling the pain of the recession.

A parcel tax is leading by a hair in South Pasadena, which is one of several mostly wealthy areas where education agencies are seeking parcel taxes to make up for state cuts.

Some interesting thoughts on parcel taxes in a blog post today from one the LA Times' editorial board members.

Voters on The Hill can drop off their ballots on Tuesday. More information on ballots and voting after the jump.

Today, I received a lengthy email from an anonymous "South Bay Pollyanna" who identifies herself as a local elementary school teacher. (Or "himself"? We'll just say herself since the writer chose a female fictional character as a pseudonym.)

This writer is asking South Bay residents to donate $5 to each of the area's 12 public school districts.

Can you afford to donate $60 in total to this one time cause? If just 10% rose to the call, it would be an impressive $430,000 for EACH district! If every man, woman, and child took action, we would raise over $4.3 million for EACH of these districts.

She describes what she calls "chaos" caused by state budget cuts and beseeches South Bay residents to take action in support of students' education.

I'm not endorsing the writer's views (or anyone else's) or vouching for all the data she cites, of course. Nor am I suggesting that I would in future post anything sent to me by readers. But someone obviously put a lot of effort into this, so here it is.

The letter is posted below.

The Los Angeles school board heard budget-cut recommendations Tuesday from Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who didn't go for any sugar-coating.

"We are not going to be the same. I am not going to sit here and lie to you and say everything will the same," Cortines said. "Schools will suffer."

He later continued: "I would say that these (cuts) are not in the best interest of our children, but you don't have any choice. ... You tell me where to get the money to fill that bucket. I've taken everything I can take. What I am recommending negatively affects every aspect of this district."

The district, which has already this year cut $427 million from its $6 billion budget, needs to slice off another $140 million by the end of the year. In the 2009-10 school year, the district needs to cut $596 million -- and another $156 million in 2010-11, according to a presentation by district CFO Megan Reilly.

To reduce spending for next year's budget, Cortines had recommended laying off about 8,500 employees, including 3,600 teachers. His recommendations included:

--layoffs and reassignments of one-quarter of headquarters staff
--cutting in half the budgets of local district offices, which will be moved onto campuses
--layoffs of nearly 500 counselors
--increased class sizes across K-12
--one-day furloughs for all employees

Cortines said the avoidance of midyear cuts made more dramatic reductions now necessary. Board members will vote on his proposed cuts March 31.

Here's the take from Daily News reporter George Sanchez, who talked to some parents who protested outside the board meeting.

Also of note: Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez today continues his focus on local schools with a critical look at UTLA's 347-page contract, which requires the newest teachers to be laid off first, regardless of talent. (The teachers union and LAUSD came to a tentative contract extension through 2011 yesterday.)

Superintendent Ramon Cortines will today present budget recommendations that include laying off nearly 8,400 employees and cutting valued programs, it's being reported.

With his budget update, Cortines will tell the Los Angeles Unified board that there is already a $140 million deficit for the current school year. He'll try to patch that up by shifting funds from categorical programs, according to an LAUSD memo to board members. (It's at the end of the meeting materials -- a big download.)

The potential closure of small campuses, including Sellery Special Education Center in Gardena will be discussed as part of Cortines' budget proposals today. A decision on that will be made next week, district officials said.

(To watch the meeting, which begins at 1 p.m., go here.)

Cortines' budget recommendations will include giving schools more freedom to use their own funding as campus administrators see fit. Making preliminary budget decision so early in the year means the district is "entering new waters," Cortines wrote. He wants decisions made early so that schools can plan to "buy back" eliminated jobs with freed-up funding.

He also notes: "[L]et me be clear, we will not be receiving enough federal stimulus funding to offset the reductions that we are facing from the State and there will be reductions in personnel at our schools."

In today's papers, the Daily News writer Connie Llanos reports that class sizes could increase under the plans -- up to 42 students per instructor in some high school classes.

The Los Angeles Times' Howard Blume writes that a dropout prevention program is on the chopping block. He writes that the budget crisis has given Cortines a an opportunity to make some reforms though a chance to "trim or gut some of the central bureaucracy."

"I'm dealing with a budget deficit over three years and five years. Not everybody will be saved, and," Cortines said, "everybody shouldn't be saved."

The Palos Verdes Peninsula school board this evening approved taking its planned parcel tax election to voters on a mail-only ballot.

The board voted 4-0 to approved the plan, with Barbara Lucky absent. Ballots will be due June 23.

The move follows a March 11 board vote to rescind its earlier approval of a regular go-to-the-polls parcel tax election. Voters will weigh a four-year $165 parcel tax, which will come on top of an existing $209 tax that was originally approved by voters in 2003 and extended in 2007.

Superintendent Walker Williams said county elections officials informed the school district that the regular election would have cost about $600,000, while a mail-only ballot would cost about a quarter of that.

The new tax would cover about half of a $6 million shortfall that the district faces over the next 16 months.