Due to changes in revenue, the San Benito High School District
Board of Trustees had to approve a revised budget from the one
passed June 18.
At its Wednesday night meeting, the trustees approved the
revision, which included reductions in salaries and benefits,
personnel consulting services, materials and supplies and
expenditure shifts from general revenue funds to restricted and
categorical funds.
Due to changes in revenue, the San Benito High School District Board of Trustees had to approve a revised budget from the one passed June 18.
At its Wednesday night meeting, the trustees approved the revision, which included reductions in salaries and benefits, personnel consulting services, materials and supplies and expenditure shifts from general revenue funds to restricted and categorical funds.
The reductions come from reductions in revenue of $515,000 from audit information and $94,000 from state funding adjustments, said Steve DeLay, director of business and operations.
“The budget is a fluid document. It’s our best guess at that time,” DeLay said.
The 2003-04 budget as approved Wednesday stands at $20,759,673, compared to $21,260,061 for 2002-03.
DeLay said the district is in good shape because it has a history of spending conservatively and also because they underestimated SBHS’s average daily attendance for this year. The school gets allotments from the state based on attendance, not actual enrollment. SBHS is up more than 100 students than they had projected.
The school is still expecting movement among students from the school and between courses.
Other board items:
– Interim Principal Duane Morgan reported on the beginning of the school year. As of Wednesday, SBHS had 2,847 students enrolled with an additional 63 enrolled in independent study. There are 119 teachers with 549 sections of classes. Class size has gone up, but there was disagreement as to how much. Some classes went from 20:1 to 35:1 due to no class-size reduction funding from the state.
– Students received bullying/harassment presentations Thursday. More than 400 students were surveyed in July about harassment, and 43 percent of females and 42 percent of males reported being victims of harassment. Sixty-four percent of the respondents would not tell a staff member about the harassment and 9 percent would not tell anyone.
– Superintendent Jean Burns Slater presented the 2002-03 San Benito County Grand Jury Report as it pertains to SBHS. The grand jury found issues with safety on Nash Road, safety locks on gas pumps on campus and the parent and student handbooks. SBHS has 90 days from reception of the report to respond to the report and its recommendations.
– Slater reported a review team has been set up for 2003-04 to analyze the school’s dress code.
– Slater presented the findings of a school climate survey distributed to teachers. Seventy-one teachers responded. When asked whether students join in when one student makes fun of someone, 33 respondents said they do.
Markings were high on student-peer relationships, security and maintenance and most teacher-student relationship questions. Student behavior and values and parent and community-school relationships scored lower.
The survey was handed out from June through August. Slater plans on distributing the surveys to students this fall.
– The Board held a reception welcoming new staff and recognizing reorganization within the administration. Krystal Lomanto took the position of interim assistant principal, a vacancy opened by the loss of Karen Larson who took a principalship in Gustine. Todd Thatcher is the interim director of special education after last year’s retirement of Steve Madrazo.
– More than 30 Associated Student Body representatives were introduced to the Board. The group also showed a video about a recent trip to a California Association of Student Councils workshop.
The next meeting is Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. in room 172 at SBHS.
