Assembly Bill 114 was passed by our state legislature, back in July. This bill required the Culver City Unified School District “to assume” that we would get as much funding from the state this school year as we did the last year, even though the state's revenue projections — on which the state budget is based — were seen by many economists as being unrealistically too optimistic.
Mid-Year Cuts A’coming
It looks as though the CCUSD budget will have to be slashed by midyear. How much cutting will be needed, has yet to be seen. But the Board, along with Supt. Patti Jaffe and her staff will be forced, once again, to deal with more mid-year cuts.
Do You Believe in Magic?
AB 114 makes it much more difficult for school districts to save money. It ties districts' hands, forbidding them to lay off any teachers or cut any programs. So, it looks as if our School District better have a good supply of Magic Beans on hand or, better yet, learn how to use smoke and mirrors in balancing our district budget, just as the state does.
Falling, Yes, They Keep Falling
State revenues are falling short of state projections. California fell short of its July projections by more than $540M. Already there are signs the state likely will miss its August and September projections also.
IOUs
Thanks to their friends in high places, CCUSD teachers may feel secure about their jobs, for now. But who knows? Ultimately, their salaries may end up being paid by the District with IOUs.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
