A third way on public school funding
As we face our worst budget crisis ever, the San Diego Unified School District board has not succumbed to the false dichotomy of teacher layoffs versus program cuts. Unlike many other districts around the state, San Diego chose to not issue layoff notices this spring. Instead, the newly elected board chose to build a budget around what children need in the classroom.
Last year, the board issued layoff notices to 900 teachers. After creating much instability in the district, it then had to turn around and take most of those teachers back to keep the schools operating. Layoffs this year would have eliminated teachers in math, science, English, PE, music and every other academic subject. These subjects are not frills. They are basics.
Just after I was elected to the board in November, the governor began to announce major budget cuts. I became convinced that we could no longer afford a massive bureaucracy. Some charter schools operate successfully without multiple layers of supervision. Why can’t we?
Because we wanted to minimize cuts in the classroom, we approved a budget for school sites that protected the essentials, including teachers, support staff and supplies. Each school must then have the autonomy and responsibility to produce results.
We took a look at central administration. We eliminated departments and management positions. We have already identified $30 million in cuts there. We have also saved millions by eliminating expensive outside contracts and consultants. We will be doing more work in-house for less money.
The board lowered personnel costs through early retirement incentives, a much better strategy than layoffs. These savings allowed our most expensive teachers to retire and our young, enthusiastic teachers to stay with us.
School finance is a complicated maze, and many school boards leave that up to the administrators. We can no longer afford to do that. For too long San Diego Unified has had a lack of accurate budgeting, as well as a failure to hold managers responsible for going over budget. This board will no longer tolerate that. We are in the process of improving budgeting processes and accountability.
This board has persisted with its constant questions. Our questions have paid off in savings.
After months of special budget meetings, veteran trustee John de Beck said, “As someone who was cynical about the budget, I am really amazed at how well it came together. This new board has squeezed the district like I’ve never seen it squeezed before.”
As we obtain more accurate budget figures we will be in a better position to bargain with our employee groups on skyrocketing health insurance costs. We can only ask for sacrifices if we can openly show the district’s financial picture. We have asked for and will soon receive an objective audit of these figures. The board recently received a joint letter from all employee groups indicating a willingness to negotiate this issue in good faith.
The cuts the board has approved are not painless. Some class sizes will increase as many retiring teachers are not replaced. Bus routes with low ridership are being consolidated. Lunch prices are increasing. While only one small school is closing, we will embark on a long-term analysis to determine which schools are viable. We will look to trim costs without eliminating programs. We will continue music, arts, athletics and off-campus learning experiences, but we will continue to look at ways to save money in central administration.