Classes start next week for all San Benito County-area public
schools
Preparations were in full swing throughout the week for the
upcoming school year, which starts Monday for San Benito High
School and Wednesday at the Hollister School District and other
campuses throughout the county.
Classes start next week for all San Benito County-area public schools
Preparations were in full swing throughout the week for the upcoming school year, which starts Monday for San Benito High School and Wednesday at the Hollister School District and other campuses throughout the county.
Hollister School District Superintendent Gary McIntyre said everything had been coming together “really well” as of Tuesday.
“Of course, this time of year you put class lists together,” he said. “We’re doing that. It’s a constant thing right up to the start.”
McIntyre estimated that classroom-size averages will stay at the same level, not exceeding an average of 33 students.
He expects the school year, from a budget perspective, won’t be as rocky as the prior few.
“This year we know the state budget is not going to be a friend again, because of the volatility of the national economy,” he said, adding that the state budget includes “trigger points” in revenue numbers that could potentially mean more lost funding here and elsewhere throughout California.
On the positive side of things, the superintendent predicted that the district will “pull out of a negative status” by the end of the year when first interim reports are due.
The district’s financial deficits in recent years had prompted the state to designate it on a negative certification list. The Hollister School District had a fiscal expert, Maureen Evans, assigned to it in the fall of 2010, and her role has subsequently changed to that of fiscal adviser as the district’s financial condition deteriorated. Those bad fortunes appear to be reversing somewhat, as McIntyre believes the district will gain back its fiscal independence by the end of 2011.
One of the district’s strategies to curtail its deficits had been the board of trustees’ decision earlier this year to severely tighten restrictions on outgoing transfers – a number that spiked in recent years and has led to the loss of millions of dollars in state revenue, which is based on the number of students in each district.
It looks as though the district will get a slight financial boost in 2011-12 from the move.
The district reduced its number of outgoing interdistrict transfers from about 600 to around 500.
The vast majority of the transfer cases appealed to the county board of education were OK’d. Among 51 appeals to the county board, just four were denied and the rest can stay at their old schools. Of the 51, five also were cases involving employment in another county, meaning the Hollister district likely would have approved the exemptions regardless, McIntyre said.
McIntyre also mentioned another change to expect: There will be frequent construction on school sites, due to the district’s agreement with Clearspot Energy to install solar panels on the campuses for cost savings over a three-decade period.
One of the rural schools affected by the Hollister district’s transfer policy is Southside School District, though the impact isn’t that significant this year. Superintendent/Principal Eric Johnson said the school lost four students because of the policy change.
The school also lost a teacher this year – which also starts Wednesday – which it had avoided in prior difficult years by cutting elsewhere.
“The meat’s been cut off the bone years ago,” Johnson said. “We finally got to a point where we had to release a teacher.
That doesn’t mean the remaining teachers aren’t just as dedicated, though. District officials noted how many teachers at area schools have been back at work, getting things prepared ahead of time, before they’re required to start.
