Seventh in a series
Re “How Reynolds Knew It Was Time to Go Back to Work”
Two and a half months into his first year as the Assistant Superintendent for Business Services for the School District, Mike Reynolds was asked what kind of fiscal situation he found.
“The District has been extremely prudent in setting aside reserves,” he said.
“Nobody knew if Prop. 30 was going to pass.
“They built up a reserve fund because with the state giving less and less money to districts, this district built up reserves so they could continue to offer a quality education to everyone.
“Even though there have been deficits, they have enough built in reserves so they can cover.
“The state economy, you know, is directly related to what we get as a school district. It’s not as if the state says ‘we will give less.’
“The state economy has gone through the big recession, and schools get less and less in funds,” Mr, Reynolds said.
“The state says, ‘We owe you a hundred dollars, but we only are going to give you seventy-six dollars per kid.’ The next year they give us seventy-two dollars per kid. It has been brutal.
“This has gone on for four or five years. As the District’s revenues fell, they did the best they could to maintain a quality educational program.”
(To be continued)
