Dire outlook for Hollister district
The budget outlook at the Hollister School District is
staggering, and widespread short- and long-term changes are
necessary to keep as much invested in the classroom as
possible.
The county’s largest school district and its biggest employer
faces what stands as a $6.5 million deficit for the 2010-11
year
– and with it the prospect of larger class sizes and fewer
academic and extracurricular options. Superintendent Ron Crates and
other officials have estimated the necessity to cut 71 employees
who are either teachers or administrators to fill the gap, and
other layoffs are likely as well.
Dire outlook for Hollister district
The budget outlook at the Hollister School District is staggering, and widespread short- and long-term changes are necessary to keep as much invested in the classroom as possible.
The county’s largest school district and its biggest employer faces what stands as a $6.5 million deficit for the 2010-11 year – and with it the prospect of larger class sizes and fewer academic and extracurricular options. Superintendent Ron Crates and other officials have estimated the necessity to cut 71 employees who are either teachers or administrators to fill the gap, and other layoffs are likely as well.
This, along with cuts throughout other local districts, signals a serious problem for the entire community and points to a harsh reality, and a string of challenges, for years to come.
What puts the Hollister district on an especially steep curve toward disaster is the fact that it not only must absorb the statewide effects of a broken California government and dismal economy, but it also continues grappling with a downward enrollment trend that directly influences the funds that trickle in from the state.
In the short-term, as the state budget becomes more clear leading into the summer, officials must seriously examine traditional methods of cutting expenses that can offset the devastatingly high layoff number currently on the table.
Crates noted how officials are continuing to negotiate with bargaining units, and those employees absolutely must accept some level of pay reduction to not only keep the highest number of teachers working, but also, and most important, to preserve the decency of education during these crucial growth stages for area youths. The money is more than dried up, so there are two options: Take a pay cut or take on the possibility of losing a job and the certainty that many peers will be without theirs.
Another option for cutting costs and pay would be to examine the school calendar and look for any further reductions in workdays allowed under state law.
In the long term, this year’s budget reduction is yet another sign that major reform is necessary in the education system. Our schools are falling behind others statewide. Our state’s schools are falling behind others nationwide. And our nation’s schools are falling behind other educational systems around the globe.
It’s not exclusively a local problem, but that doesn’t mean our local leaders can’t take it on in this community. As the numbers at the Hollister School District show, at some point, there just won’t be a choice.
