Hollister School District Board of Trustees erased a $2 million
budget deficit Tuesday night by increasing class sizes and making
cuts to unmandated transportation and other areas
– but trustees managed not to cut any jobs.
Hollister School District Board of Trustees erased a $2 million budget deficit Tuesday night by increasing class sizes and making cuts to unmandated transportation and other areas – but trustees managed not to cut any jobs.
Keeping the cuts away from personnel and the classroom, the board got to the $2 million mark just around 10 p.m., without losing any school site jobs, and finally approved the interim budget close to midnight. Out of the $2 million cut, $500,000 is negotiable, meaning teachers must agree to make the cuts. More cuts could come if teachers don’t agree with the negotiable items on the list.
Board President Dee Brown addressed a crowded board room saying “I want everyone in here to take a big deep breath. I hope everyone in the room will focus on the students in this district because that is why we’re here.”
The board agreed to increase kindergarten class sizes, saving the district $318,000. Currently, HSD kindergarten classrooms have 20 students throughout the entire day, but the kindergarten option would boost that to 32 students for half of the day. The cut wasn’t in the meeting agenda as an option and was brought to the table for the first time Tuesday night and it is one of the negotiable cuts.
Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association President and Ladd Lane Elementary kindergarten teacher Michal Cook said she doesn’t agree with the increase in kindergarten class sizes.
“Increasing the class size to 32 is not educationally sound,” she said.
Fourth through eighth-grade classrooms will also see a jump in student numbers. The classroom average will rise to 33 students to one teacher, saving the district $400,000.
Mandy Schneider’s daughter is a fifth-grader at R.O. Hardin School and she’s concerned about the large class sizes.
“It’s too many kids,” she said. “They’re not going to be able to learn and the teacher isn’t going to be able to teach.”
The board also decided to do away with mid-day kindergarten pick up, so students in the morning classes will have to find alternative transportation when they get out of class around 11 a.m. HSD Transportation Coordinator Alicia Vasquez made it easier for the board to make its decision by explaining the lack of use of the mid-day busing.
“There are five buses on the road but only six to eight kids per bus which hold 66,” she said. “And because there has to be an adult there to meet the kids, and half the time they don’t show up, we end up bringing the kids back to the school sites anyway.”
In addition to the mid-day drop off, all transportation was cut except for that mandated by the state. Maze Middle School teacher Valerie Pennington was concerned about the gradual effects of cutting busing.
“It seems to me, if you cut transportation, you’re going to see a drop in attendance, especially in the lower income families,” she said.
HSD found ways to save money by making minor cuts like limiting cell phone use among maintenance staff, saving $3,000 and implementing a plan to encourage energy conservation, which they hope will save $10,000. HSD Manager of Operations Don Fanning said saving money from reducing energy is very possible.
“If everybody just had the attitude to conserve energy, we would be saving a lot,” he said. “Every little bit counts.”
The $500,000 of the budget cut that are negotiable includes:
– Kindergarten class sizes ($318,000),
– Cutting two teacher work days ($224,000),
If either of those items fall through, the prioritized lists of cuts would come next. This list includes, in order:
– Potential gains from classified employees’ early retirement ($10,000)
– Raising fourth-grade through eighth-grade classroom to 35 students for one teacher ($406,000)
– No carry overs of funds ($30,000)
– Cut half of the vice principals for the junior high schools ($50,000)
– Eliminate a director position at the district office ($100,000)
HSD Director of Business and Finance Dean Bubar said he’s pleased with the way the board handled the budget, but that information will continue to develop during the next few weeks.
“I thought it was a very collective effort made between the board and the community,” he said. “Every decision was made very even handily.”
Christine Tognetti can be reached at 637-5566, ext. 330 or at
ct*******@fr***********.com
.
