The bad news for the Santa Ana Unified School District just got worse. Here are a few excerpts from an article in the O.C. Register regarding massive budget cuts that are coming to the SAUSD:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget could force Santa Ana Unified School District to make $26.6 million more in budget cuts, district officials said.
That’s in addition to the $14.8 million in cuts the school board approved last month in order to avoid a deficit for the 2008-09 school year, officials said at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
Great idea Art. Let’s have the board members give up some of their benefits. I don’t believe that has even been brought to the table for discussion.
You would think that with a reduction in student enrollment and a reduction in the budget the school board would advice elimination of some administrative positions. I don’t see that mentioned. why is that?
What is it about the words “drop in revenue” and “the money is not there” these people don’t understand?
A budget is but a plan to spend money if the money is there. When it is not there, the budget has to be revised to match the money that does show up.
The State is talking about not making payments due to lcoal government and medical providers in June until July, simply to have only 11 months of expense booked this fiscal year instead of 12 months. By rolling forward that 12th payment to the next year, the State will not become insolvent in June, otherwise it will. When the plan is to cook the books like this, how can these locals think a budget built on revenue estimates that have not materialized can be funded? These people need to take a course in business finance 1 A.!!
As they say, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach!” Teacher pay is too high. If they were not working as teachers most would be hard pressed to make the same pay or beni’s. You would see them bagging groceries, collecting tickets at Disneyland, or selling real estate part time. Just cut the pay and tell them to quit crying. Folks in Admin. on the other hand many other options and we must pay them top dollar to keep them in Santa Ana.
I think Ms. Russo deserves a raise for helping us get through these tought budget cuts. She reminds me of a combination of Margaret Thatcher and Hilary Clinton. It’s not easy to make needed cuts when so many union members are living in some fantasy land thinking we can have less students and yet still give pay increases and not cut jobs. Thanks Ms. Russo for being strong in these tough times. The Administration has been cut to the bone and can’t stand any more cuts and Ms. Russo understands that. Thanks for all you do.
Did you know that Audrey Namaguchi, boardmember, is going to get FREE medical insurance FOR LIFE because of her years on the school board? Check it out..it’s true.
Did you know that John Palacio started a fundraising group of Santa Ana High grads and they give lots of money for kids to go to college? I wish we had more John Palacio’s on the board.
The district needs to compare their admin expenses with other districts to indicate whether they’re justified & reasonable or not.
Also, if the Gov can suspend Prop 98 to cut schools, the district should suspend admin reports and cut the admin headcount, pending restoration of the cuts.
Or,if we let the state take over the district they can pay our administrators or reduce them.
After all, teacher headcounts are determined mainly by student headcount and salaries are determined by the union contract – leaving little room for budget flexibility.
You have to respect the dedication of all the teachers in Santa Ana. I’ve met a couple of them and they are so passionate about educating. They exhibited a”need” to get their students to succeed.
A person has little chance of succeeding without support from friends/family. And, it seems that, a typical SA parent is overlabored and may be sacrificing his family’s education for the sake of easing his immediate load. So, until the underlying issue of the evident poverty is solved, the education issue will be lingering. And, until schools have a better success rate, the poverty will escalate.
“The Administration has been cut to the bone and can’t stand any more cuts”
But at least they all still have their bottled water.
Isn’t anyone going to question the management of the After School Program?
It’s staggering to learn that SAUSD may face up to $40 million in cuts for the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 school years.
Are other OC school districts facing such stiff cuts?
If the school district is actually providing free medical benefits for life for Noji, isn’t Palacio and the rest of the board getting the same deal?
Only Noji gets them because she has been on the board so long and because she works for a Community college. They wrote the rules to give the lifetime welfare to boardmembers like her.
Dr. Farley, Superintendent, sent an email to all in the district projecting the cut will be about $18 million. There is no plan yet to what will need to be changed. Teacher salaries are the biggest part of the budget. Personnel is an area that could be looked at for cuts, but the district will be “sensitive to its impact.” I doubt they will look at the high salaries and benefits the district higher ups and board get paid as an area of potential savings. Why do that when you can kill two birds and keep the stone.
Dr. Farley, Superintendent, sent an email to all in the district projecting the cut will be about $18 million. There is no plan yet to what will need to be changed. Teacher salaries are the biggest part of the budget. Personnel is an area that could be looked at for cuts, but the district will be “sensitive to its impact.” I doubt they will look at the high salaries and benefits the district higher ups and board get paid as an area of potential savings.
The comments on this blog are clearly indicative of what is wrong at SAUSD. Facts are facts – SAUSD doesn’t educate, it caretakes. This sentence is precious:
“Board members and district staff said the loss in funding could cripple after school classes, the class-size reduction program and transportation services.”
After school classes are state-funded daycare, and transportation services are also crutches for parents that can’t take their own kids to school.
Why in the heck do board members have ANY benefits?
If enrollment is down, you cut back on staff and facilities. You allocate/spend the money you have. The Finance Director should be fired for his comments – how much does he make?
#17
The Ass’t Supt Business Services, Don Trigg, is slated to retire next month.
What ever happened to “Santa Ana education first.”
It has never lived up to that slogan.
Its new slogan should read “Santa Ana where every child is left behind and drop out.”
It is very sad, the SAUSD has to make all these cut’s.
While Los Alamitos School District are giving people a pay raise.
I just feel really bad for all these children.
There the ones that are going to be affected the most by all this.
This is not right. These budget cuts dont include pay cuts to the Superintendent or any of the Big Wigs at the district office. SAUSD spends $4 million a year on outside consultants, and countless millions on programs the kids dont even see. All the big money is stuck at the top and is never funneled down to the schools. Our schools are filled with teachers who dont do anything and contribute to the problems the students face but yet the district refuses to do anything about them. These teacher should be replaced with new teachers who actually want to work with the kids. I could go on and on. Arnold doesnt care about the kids, and SAUSD corruption is crippling the district. Mabye a good strike would open some eyes.
#20
I agree with you that the Super. is overpaid, the consultants should all be cut, and worthless programs axed.
However, I strongly disagree with your comments about the teachers.
I’ve been teaching in SAUSD nearly a decade and I approach every day with determination to make a difference for my students and the parents I serve. In the years that I have been at my site, I have witnessed that the teachers are giving their best.
Time and again it is the site administration/district administration who thwart what the teachers try to do to help the students (and usually because what is needed will cost money).
I and most of the teachers I know voted against giving up our salaries a couple of years ago to bail out SAUSD because we WANTED the state (anybody) to take over and “clean house”. We believed the apparent corruption and dereliction of duty was seemingly so ingrained in the district that perhaps only a complete takeover/reconstruction of the administration would result in an effective educational program.
Unfortunately too many teachers were scared into voting for the bail out, and now you see the results…the District has continued its poor policies and ignored the calls for change.
Please don’t blame the teachers.
We get enough of that from the administration already.
While SAUSD operates behind the scenes with massive budget cuts, I understand the employees have been left in the dark to ponder their fate. Other districts have responded with care, concern and compassion in regards to their employees. Here’s an example of how AUHSD is communicating with their employees. This was sent to all employees in our district email from the superintendent:
Reduced funding will clearly present extraordinary challenges. As a result, we will reduce current year spending, purchasing, hiring, and overtime. We will also ask school staffs to reduce, or eliminate, any professional development plans that are not governed by previously approved contractual agreements. Any current year savings will offset funding reductions next year. You should also know that some federal, local, and grant-funded projects are required to continue, which can appear contradictory to the message of fiscal restraint.
The following objectives will guide our budget work and communication:
A. Most of the district
Board members and district staff said the loss in funding could cripple after school classes, the class-size reduction program and transportation services.”
Why is after school classes included here? Do they mean After School Program? Web postings all over the internet say that districts that haven’t started will lose money. SAUSD has had their program running for years…quite well I might add. What will change? One person wrote that people are “in the dark” about their jobs. When will the district start giving answers and hold themselves to their word?
#20 to #21.
I wasnt complaining about the teachers who actually show up for the kids. I was talking about the teachers who destroy the schools by dont nothing and letting the kids do what ever they want. The teachers who show up waiting to retire.