Mike Bush addresses the FUSD School board meeting, Tuesday night.

[Video of the meeting coming soon...]

At the March 6, 2012 Fillmore Unified School Board (FUSD) Meeting Financial Director Dr. Michael Bush gave a presentation on the district’s financial outlook for the next three years due to state budget cuts and asked the Board for approval of a loan to pay expenditures. Also there was a presentation on improving the transfer process of student at Heritage Valley Independent Studies and Sierra High School, and comments on proposed cuts to the music program.

To close the $9.2 billion shortfall, Governor Jerry Brown is proposing $4.2 billion in cuts primarily to education and health and human services, increasing revenues and making other funding shifts. Those proposed cuts and the loss of revenue to the district over the past years have put FUSD in a position where there are few choices. Superintendent Dr. Alan Nishino told those in attendance, “We cannot keep deficit spending…they (Sacramento politicians) expect us to make predictions…we’re being forced to make decisions that may not come true…the politicians are killing us.”

Bush gave a brief talk on what California’s Legislators have been up to; he found something both democrat and republican politicians could agree upon, Proposition 98 may be illegal. Proposition 98, the Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act, which is part of our State Constitution, requires a minimum percentage of the state budget be spent on K-12 schools and community colleges. This funding constitutes over 70 percent of total K-12 funding and about two-thirds of total community college funding. The legislature could potentially suspend the Proposition 98 guarantee to achieve savings, which would take a two-thirds legislative vote.

Another change to education and part of Brown’s budget proposal is a new ‘weighted student’ funding model that would be phased in over five years. It starts with each student generating a base grant amount, expected to be $4,900 per student, then additional funding is given to districts with high concentrations (60% or more) of disadvantaged students such as large numbers of English-learning students and those from families with low incomes. FUSD certainly falls into the additional funding category, but whether or not these changes happen will depend on what the voters decide in November.

Brown’s plan for increasing revenue to pay for the changes he’s proposed calls for an increase in personal income tax on the state’s wealthiest taxpayers and boosting sales taxes by one-half percent for five years. This, if approved, is said to generate up to $31 billion over the next five years; half of which, supposedly, would be set aside for public education. Californians already pay some of the highest taxes in the country and tax increase ballot measures have failed in the past, so there is no guarantee any of Brown’s plans will come about.

Bush gave a spreadsheet presentation on where the District is headed over the next three years. He explained the District is down about $100,000 but expenditures are up $195,000 and that given the best scenario the District may barely come out of the hole it has dug itself into through years of deficit spending. Nishino reminded everyone that 12 to 13 of about 600 school districts throughout the state are bankrupt. It was then asked what happens when a district is bankrupt. Bush explained that the state takes over and all contracts and collective bargaining become null and void with a state trustee approving all future decisions.

An item up for Board approval was a loan of $9.5m for fiscal year 2012-2013 needed to pay expenditures. It was explained that the State is giving the District only $.79 on every $1.00 owed with Sacramento expecting school districts to borrow the difference because schools can get a better interest rate than the State. The Board had little choice but to approve.

Cynthia Frutos and John Wilber on the new independent study transfer committee gave a presentation on the new procedures for students at Heritage Valley Independent Studies and Sierra High School. It was explained that for some students transferring from one school to another is not always a smooth process and that not all students in the process are troubled. Some may have had an injury such as a broken leg and others are excellent students but simply bored. The committee has worked on new guidelines for transfer and explained the decision to transfer a student is a collaborative effort.

Kathy Pace, whose four children have received music/band instruction at a FUSD school, addressed the Board with her concerns over the elimination of the Elementary Band Program. She reminded the Board of the benefits that music education has on students and that most who participate in the music program are Gate, Honor and AP students. “I understand that you need to cut spending to have money for the schools, but I have noticed that the cuts have come to the certificated and no-certificated, but I have not seen any come from the district office itself …if you’re going to have to do cuts then you need to do them all around, district office included,” Pace told the administration. She went on to say the Board Member Virginia de la Piedra had mentioned the middle school band program would be next and it was her (Pace) belief that the next cuts should be to athletics since it is such a big expense on the District.