Now I do not claim to be an accountant. But it would seem to me that our School District’s continued deficit spending has many different components that are working against it in trying to balance the budget.
Under Pressure
We can all agree that the state Legislature's withholding of millions of dollars from school districts across the state, in each of the previous four years, has added substantial strain to our District’s budget and its ability to educate our students. The on-going expense of the 3 percent increase in the district’s payment of Statutory Benefits for employees has added pressure on balancing its budget.
Step & Column
Another less conspicuous annual increase makes it tougher for the District to balance its budget year after year: The ongoing, accumulative increases of the Step & Column program that are tacked on annually to District employees’ salaries.
Split Loyalties?
Negotiating truthfully and fairly with District employees about their compensation is important. But our current trustees’ primary fiduciary responsibility is to the local community, which elected them to oversee our School District, and not mainly to the employees
It is the School Board’s responsibility to see that our District is kept on a fiscally firm foundation so our children can continue to receive the education they deserve. By continuing to nonchalantly pass irresolute budget deficits, year after year, this Board is jeopardizing our District’s future.
Play Money
The previous School Board chose to run annual deficits because it thought the downturn would be short-lived and that the state would make good on its promises to pay back the funding it was withholding as soon as the state economy turned around.
Not Quite According to Plan
The Great Recession happened and even though Californians passed the California Federation of Teachers’ Prop. 30 tax increases, the state Legislature broke its promise and has chosen only to flat-fund school districts for now.
Gov. Brown’s pay back shell game is to bring state funding for K-12 education back to 2007-08 levels, only in the next three to four years.
No Knight in Shining Armor
We must forget the notion that the Legislature is going to sweep in and save our schools. It will not. We must realize we have to do it ourselves. We can by responsibly getting our own local District finances in order. We must stop our deficit spending by making the needed cuts and freezing Step & Column increases. We cannot remain on the path of continued deficit spending. We need to balance our budget by only spending within our current means.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
