[img]1705|exact|Mr. Reynolds||no_popup[/img]Owing to a healthy, stabilizing boost from the passage of Prop. 30 last November, “our district is in very good shape” going into this evening’s 7 o’clock School Board meeting at the District Office, says Asst. Supt. Mike Reynolds.
Unlike LAUSD, where potential layoffs of teachers and non-teachers are being protested, Culver City does not anticipate subtractions.
“Prop. 30,” said Mr. Reynolds, “was Gov. Brown’s attempt to prevent us from losing a lot of money for the current budget year. Without Prop. 30, there would have been a really devastating cut to our ongoing revenues. With Prop. 30, we avoided that cut. It wasn’t new revenues, but we avoided draconian cuts to the School District budget.”
A Promise That Was Weakened
Culver City schools will derive solidifying benefits from 30 even though Mr. Brown busted his pledge to send schools the majority of the $6 billion to be raised. Instead, he is turning over $3.3 billion to state workers.
K-14 schools are scheduled to receive $2.7 billion.
No Bad News?
A month before the March 15 deadline for notifying teachers of potential end-of-the-year layoffs, Mr. Reynolds does not anticipate sending out letters.
“The district is looking forward to the economy of the state improving,” Mr. Reynolds said. “It looks as if it is. Revenues are about $4 billion higher for the state than were projected in the governor’s budget.
“You know, when the governor talks about taking away or giving more money to schools, sometimes he is talking cash.
“Cash is important, but what we are more focused on is the budget authorization. If the state doesn’t have any cash, we have to seek our own source. The state just says ‘we’ll catch you up on the cash later, but for right now you will have to loan us the money locally.’”
Mr. Reynolds noted that Gov. Brown has “introduced the concept” that school districts will enjoy more freedom from Sacramento next year, more local control. “He has come up with a complete revamping of how revenues that go to school districts are distributed, with more emphasis on districts that have high numbers of low income families or English learners,” neither category affecting Culver City.
“It doesn’t amount to a huge increase overall,” Mr. Reynolds said. “He just wants to redistribute the way money has been allocated up and through the present year. So next year is looking at a total change in the revenue calculation for every school district.”
Nothing Is on Paper
As every educator in the state, down to the greenest one, knows – wait until you see the whites of their eyes.
“Everything right now is talk until they actually adopt a budget,” Mr. Reynolds said, around July 1. “There often are last-minute surprises. Sometimes, as you know, the state doesn’t adopt its budget until well past July 1. They can go November, December.
“They don’t have the same rules school districts have. We must have our budget adopted before July 1 (opening day of the fiscal year) or we can’t spend money.
“Now the state, they can kind of adopt their budget when they please.
“Every budget, you know, is based on assumptions when you are looking at your future expenses, future revenues. Every budget is based on what the state thinks they will be able to give us.
“It’s an assumption-based forecast. Once the year begins, well, hopefully by July 1 the state will have adopted a budget. Even then, though, if they run out of money halfway through the year, they look at us and say, ‘Gee, we just don’t have the money we thought we were going to have. Guess what?’
“Prop. 98 was supposed to give us assurances,” Mr. Reynolds said, “but the effect is you budget each year on the best information available.”
