High school district to talk budget cuts Friday
| Wednesday, Jan 21 2009 08:32 PM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:26 PM
HOW TO GO
What:Kern High School District board meeting
When:8:45 a.m. Friday
Where:5801 Sundale Ave., board room
The Kern High School District board of trustees will discuss Friday how to deal with the district’s projected two-year, $28 million budget shortfall.
Some specific budget decisions can’t be made until the impasse at the state level is settled. In the meantime, the board will go over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mid-year and 2009-10 budget proposals, as well as a range of scenarios for potential savings, and the consequences of reducing services.
Most of the ideas to be discussed focus on things “operational in nature, as opposed to reducing teaching staff,” said board President Joel Heinrichs.
For instance, the board will consider reducing bus transportation to save money, and consider the effect on student attendance.
For this year, the district reduced $17 million from the $342 million general fund budget.
No programs were cut, but some class sizes increased and teachers lost to attrition and retirement were not replaced.
“We chose to preserve our programs and raise class size. I don't know if the board will choose to do that again, or cut to save,” KHSD Superintendent Don Carter said.
Friday’s meeting is the start of a process that likely will include teacher layoffs.
March 15 is the deadline for layoff notices to be sent to certificated staff, a key deadline date for the KHSD budget to be completed.
But not before a number of more meetings.
“We are a number of board meetings away from any decisions,” said Dennis Scott, KHSD’s associate superintendent of business.
