PUSD Budget Information
Message from PUSD Superintendent to Parents
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May 6, 2009
Re: Budget Update
Dear Parents,
I am writing to keep you apprised of our school district budget as we
deal with deep cuts due to the loss of State revenue. Let me begin,
however, by sharing some very good news.
The Poway Federation of Teachers (PFT), the classified employees
represented by the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the
administrators, managers, counselors, and others represented by the
Association of Poway School Managers (APSM), and the Board of Education
have all taken proactive steps to roll back salaries by 2.7% for the
upcoming school year, with a corresponding five-day reduction in
non-student days. Students will still attend school for 180 days, as
required by law.
We know of only two other districts out of the thousand-plus school
districts in California that have taken a similar action. This generous
and unselfish act will help us to preserve approximately $4.5 million in
jobs and will help reduce the negative impacts on our educational
program. I ask you to join me in thanking our staff and the Board of
Education for doing the right thing for our students, our community, and
their colleagues. We are very fortunate to have such progressive union
leadership in our district and such a dedicated and talented staff.
Looking Forward:
We still have two major pieces of the budget puzzle that need to be
addressed in our fiscal planning for the years ahead.
The first piece is the federal stimulus package that has recently
received so much attention. Our earlier fears that the federal stimulus
funding might be siphoned off at the state level appear not to be a
concern. The federal government put in place a series of accountability
and transparency measures to ensure this would not happen. Although
these are one-time funds, the federal stimulus package is the first
piece of good news we have heard in a long time, though it falls well
short of making us whole.
The second, and most troubling, piece is what lies ahead from
Sacramento. The May 19th special election includes budgetary measures 1A
through 1E, which appear likely to be unsuccessful. Given the current
polling numbers for the special election, we anticipate that the State
will be facing a total revenue shortfall of at least $14 billion ($6
billion from the special election and $8+ billion from decreased tax
revenues). We are hopeful, but not certain, that the federal stimulus
dollars will be sufficient to offset the depth of additional cuts likely
to come in the form of major revisions to the 2009-10 budget. It is also
not clear when the State will adopt revisions to the 2009-10 budget and
whether the political wrangling will carry into the fall or even winter.
Next Steps:
We are working with PFT, CSEA, and APSM to be in a position to rescind
layoff notices based upon the salary rollback. We plan to take teacher
rescissions to the Board starting as early as the May 11th Special Board
Meeting, and classified employee rescissions starting with the May 18th
Board Meeting. We are in the initial conversation phase with the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU). We will closely watch the May 19th
special election and the Governor’s Budget Revise, due by June 8th. All
of these pieces to the budget puzzle will need to be sorted out and the
State will need to approve a final budget agreement prior to considering
any additional significant staffing commitments for Poway Unified.
Program Impact:
Eighty-five percent of our district’s budget is in personnel. In order
to manage major budget reductions two years in a row, we cannot help but
reduce staff and programs. In developing our budget, we are focusing on
maintaining our core program and the necessary support services to
provide the very best possible education in a safe, clean environment
with the dollars we have. Our staff will continue to do their very best
work to support our students, parents, and staff. Having said that, we
are making cuts to our very fine education system that will have both a
direct and indirect impact on your child’s educational program.
How You Can Help:
Your continued support of our schools through site foundations, PTA, or
individually is deeply appreciated and much needed. Additionally, your
voice for your child’s education and public education matters in
Sacramento. It is important that education receives stable and adequate
funding so our students can compete with students around the country and
world for colleges, additional training options, and ultimately, jobs.
The funding system for education in California needs to be revised so we
don’t continue to experience this roller coaster in funding.
Please let your legislators know your concerns. I know we all want the
very best education for our students. I appreciate your ongoing support
and understanding as we navigate these troubled financial waters during
difficult economic times in the best way possible for our students.
Sincerely,
Don Phillips, Superintendent