Major slashes in state education funding have left the SMMUSD board scrambling to cut spending and balance a diminishing budget.
By Katherine Peach / Special to the Malibu Times
Drastic changes are promised for Malibu schools due to a $14.5 million projected deficit in the next three years for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Superintendent Tim Cuneo led a budget presentation at Malibu High School last Thursday to explain budget cuts and the need for another parcel tax for the district.
The district Board of Education voted at its Jan. 14 meeting to approve placing a parcel tax measure on a special election ballot for this spring.
The district has already dipped into a $20 million reserve for the 2009-10 budget to cover the $10 million deficit this year. The projected $14.5 million gap for the fall will drain all reserve funds, demanding more staff cuts, eliminations of programs and increased class sizes. Superintendent Cuneo projected dire results without support from the recently approved emergency parcel tax ballot measure.
The SMMUSD foresees a possible $8.7 million in cuts to weather the deep $30 billion reduced education funding from Sacramento. The budget is expected to increase by almost $4 million due to items such as the elimination of one-time federal funding programs. A packed crowd grilled district officials at last week’s meeting for answers, but was met with only variables for the coming year.
“We’re burning through our reserves very quickly now and we are running out of time,” Cuneo said. “We are not confident in Sacramento’s commitment to education. The parcel tax will only get us halfway-there will be cuts.”
Planned cuts that are under discussion would reduce personnel, including teachers, administration and security, and support staff. Cuneo said as many as 90 teachers and staff will be let go if current budget situations do not change. With already increased class sizes, he said student-to-teacher ratios could get as high as 25-1 for elementary and 36-1 in secondary classes.
“One of the major issues schools are faced with is money management,” district Chief Financial Officer Jan Maez said. “One of the things the state has done-they have an even bigger cash problem then we do-is to pass that on to us by deferring payment.”
Programs that have already seen reductions, such as elementary music and summer school, may be eliminated completely. The state approved furlough days, so Malibu schools may have five less days at the end of the school year. Maez said the furloughs could save $2 million for the district.
Maez said that student attendance gives $28 for every day a student is present. With Malibu schools having an unusually high rate of attendance at 96 percent, she said boosting this to 96.5 percent could bring in an extra $500,000. Part of the issue will be addressed with calendar changes by the Board of Education to accommodate low-attendance days throughout the year.
Cuneo said contract negotiations with the Santa Monica-Malibu Classified Teachers Association are still underway. With 84 percent of the district’s budget going to salaries and benefits, attendees during the meeting asked about cuts in those areas. Even with the large cost of benefits, Cuneo warned against losing qualified employees.
Assistant Superintendent Michael Matthews quelled rumors of small school closures to save money. He said any future talks about closures would be public and involve the entire community. Cuneo said although closures would be disruptive, he supports discussions “way down the road.”
The proposed parcel tax is one of the first actions the SMMUSD Board of Education approved to aid dwindling resources. The tax will generate a possible $6.6 million for the district that will be spread over the next five years. The district’s tax feasibility committee has advised a cap of $225 per parcel.
Mail-in election ballots will be sent out to registered voters and must be returned by March 25. The election will cost about $360,000, which is much less than traditional polls, according to the county. If the measure passes, taxes will take effect July 1, but the district will use reserves until funds are received well into December.
The Board of Education will conduct a special workshop at district headquarters in Santa Monica to discuss the ballot language and the district’s financial status.