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Brown’s Cuts Hit California Education Budget – But Not K-12
As budgets are cut across the board in universities and school transportation in California, community college tuition faces a hike.
California Governor Jerry Brown insists his $1 billion spending cut is necessary. With school busing, colleges, universities, social service programs, libraries and some public safety programs being cut, it seems it’s only K-12 classrooms that will be spared from the most punishing reductions, writes Michael Gardner and Maureen Magee at Sign On San Diego.
Officials from the San Diego Unified School District have been anticipating cuts up to $30 million early next year for K-12 schools, however as the reductions will be between $7 million and $8 million that works out as a more palatable $13.18 per student.
Bernie Rhinerson, San Diego Unified School District chief of staff sums up the mood of officials:
“Strange times when it’s good news that we are getting a midyear cut of $7 million.”
It is thought that this cut will be dealt with by eliminating 15 vacant nonteaching positions, using proceeds from real estate sales and dipping into the reserves. However, an early 2012-13 budget may call for mass layoffs if fortunes don’t improve.
Brown’s budget cuts also target school transportation. $248 million is set to be lost in grants. However, rural districts have hit out at this and the issue looks as if it’s heading for court after Los Angeles Unified School District trustees voted to file a lawsuit challenging the decision.
However, overall the cuts were not as severe as originally forecast.
“These cuts are not good. It’s not the way we would like to run California, but we have to live within our means,” Brown said.
Brown warns that his proposed 2012-13 budget will be more austere. Brown told Californians to expect “a number of more cuts” that could target similar programs with an automatic spending reduction.
But until then, many breathed a sigh of relief.
“Actually, we are pleased that these cuts weren’t as deep as we feared,” said Randy Ward, county superintendent.
Yet, a number of districts may have to scratch for dollars to keep buses on the road, said Ward.
Chris Swanson, a school employees labor union representative in San Diego, echoed these fears claiming that bus drivers are worried about the safety of students.
In some rural areas, Swanson claims that “There are no sidewalks for the kids to walk to school on.”
Swanson said some districts will have to dip into their reserves, but there are many others who may not have the cash on hand, forcing them to lay off staff.
Community colleges face a $102 million cut to campuses statewide. The three-campus San Diego Community College District expects a loss of $3.6 million, according to Chancellor Constance Carroll. Students are set to take most of the hit with an extra $10 per unit hike on tuition, starting May 1.
“We planned for the worst-case with the midyear cuts,” Carroll said.
“Our goal is ensuring our students have a stable semester this coming spring.”
Sunday
December 18th, 2011
Filed Under
Budget Cuts California Education Community College Jerry Brown
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Comments
I suppose it is too much to expect that the educators and administrators forgo their semi-annual round of pearl-clutching over the horrors that will befall California’s children after the latest round of budget cuts. On the other hand, maybe Governor Brown will also stop summoning the apocalypse every time the budget talks come around and instead offer up realistic projections of what the cuts will be that will truly allow districts to make plans. And maybe then California cows will be so happy at this cessation of political brinksmanship that they will indeed jump over the moon.
“Won’t someone think of the children?” is a trite cliche but maybe the unions and the politicians will stop trying to score potshots off each other long enough to maybe give the children a passing thought?
As long as Sacramento continues to treat education funding like political football, it would be less than responsible for the “educators and administrators” to be less than completely committed to their lobbying than the Governor. Maybe Joe you believe that academics should leave in some kind of rarefied atmosphere where money makes no difference, but trying to get more of it any way we can is the way we “think of the children!” Unless you happen to share Wisconsin’s Governor Walker’s point of view that we all went into education trying to enrich ourselves?
That is why I explained that the way both parties are acting is questionable. Nowhere did I write that California educators should act like some kind of unwordly monks. There is no reason to get so indignant that one starts confusing “leave” and “live.” You can have a healthy respect of school finances and the English language at the same time.
And excellent strawman there, Linda. Expertly done. Thank you for providing such an explicit demonstration of my point.
California is a great state. There is a lot of diversity here and a lot of progressive thought. However the state government is so bloated with both bureaucracy and unmanageable pensions that it is hard to imagine it getting out of the hole it is in. The state will have to make almost radical reforms to how it manages government worker benefits.
Let me summarize California’s political problems – Everyone complains that they have less money, while spending like there is no tomorrow. You can’t have it both ways.
The state needs more leadership. And has to be willing to take chances and be creative. It feels as if elected officials are only looking at the same old solutions. That is the definition of insanity right. Doing the same thing and expecting different results. LOL
Let me summarize California’s political problems – Everyone complains that they have less money, while spending like there is no tomorrow. You can’t have it
Brown is a serial liar and con man. Golly this clown is sooooooo stupid. Just plain DUMB>
How about you amend the 14th amendment so the people busting into our country every hour having babies in our hospitals aren’t entitled to free California tax payer health care, education and WIC and all other FREE services these ILLEGAL MExicans are getting when they plop out kids on our soil. Wake the F up Jerry. Or do you have a casa in Mexico so you’re just as compromised as the rest of the idiots who aren’t declaring war on Mexico for invading our country and destroying our entire system. California education is destroyed by illegal aliens and their offspring. THey are collapsing our entire economy here. They send most of the money they make here BACK to mexico idiots who support them. Duh. So all you liberal kids at college how you feel now with the nightmare i mean dream act, while YOUR mom and dad pay thousands for your education, some illegal alien kid gets free education.
Community colleges face a $102 million cut to campuses statewide. The three-campus San Diego Community College District expects a loss of $3.6 million, according to Chancellor Constance Carroll. Students are set to take most of the hit with an extra $10 per unit hike on tuition, starting May 1.
“We planned for the worst-case with the midyear cuts,” Carroll said.
“Our goal is ensuring our students have a stable semester this coming spring.”
Not hardly Connie. your goal is to ensure that you and your fellow corrupt administratiors continue to to fraudently pad your retirement nest eggs. SDCCD needs oversight on it’s budget practices.
Unless dramatic cuts are made to social programs, education, and bloated bureaucracy, this state is clearly headed toward bankruptcy. Also corporate welfare has to end and the tax breaks should instead be focused at small growing businesses.
A new study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) examines the costs of education, health care and incarceration of illegal aliens, and concludes that the costs to Californians is $10.5 billion per year. http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/immigrationnaturalizatio/a/caillegals.htm.