The bouncing ball that numerous teaching careers have been converted into by the enveloping state funding crisis, finally took a favorable carom at last night’s special, off-week but fairly flat School Board meeting when no bombshells were launched.
While the School District’s ever-changing revenues remain as liquid, unsettled — and almost as vast — as the Pacific, a confluence of random circumstances and practical strategizing soon may restore the positions of up to 30 teachers, who received tentative pink slips in early spring.
That would leave seven other pink-slipped teachers with their noses pressed against a frosty window. Their final status for the new term is uncertain and unencouraging.
With the one-time federal government stimulus grant of $1.73 million available, the District — which must spend it within two years — plans to use it for the coming year. Their intention is to let the following year’s prospects dangle until a later date, when administrators hope conditions will have improved.
Anyone Have a Belt Tightener?
On the more grim other hand, Asst. Supt. David El Fattal announced that a fresh $3 million will need to be cut from the District’s already heavily dieted budget in the coming 12 months. This sent a fresh bolt of shock and disappointment or both through the four present Board members — Steve Gourley was out ill — and the audience.
With scarcely a ray of optimism visible, and haunted by the looming $3 million figure, Supt. Dr. Myrna Rivera Cote promised to start next year’s budget-trimming meetings shortly after the new term gets under way rather than waiting until mid-winter.’
“I want to involve the stakeholders as widely and as early as possible,” she said. “The more people, the more opinions there will be.”
Lurking vaguely in the background is a proposed parcel tax, enthusiastically championed by Board member Scott Zeidman.
He estimates it could yield about $1.5 million annually, “for four or five years,” if, that is, it successfully passes several more hurdles.
Pragmatically speaking, its fate still is too shaky for the District to contemplate, especially with projected enrollment for September down from a year ago, depressing revenue even further.
In response, Dr. Cote said present plans call for eliminating one kindergarten class from each elementary school agenda, except for El Marino Language School.
Next School Board meeting is a week from tonight at School District headquarters at 7 o’clock.
