The Hollister School District announced last week that it needs
to cut $6 million from its budget over the next three years if it
is going to stay within state-mandated requirements for reserve
spending and avoid a state takeover.
The Hollister School District announced last week that it needs to cut $6 million from its budget over the next three years if it is going to stay within state-mandated requirements for reserve spending and avoid a state takeover.
It was a painful announcement that we’re sure everyone wanted to avoid altogether, especially after two years of cuts, layoffs and increasing class sizes. Making matters worse, Board President Margie Barrios was clear in saying that the savings would have to come from salaries and benefits. That, unfortunately, is probably true, although we encourage the board to look for savings elsewhere. Increasing class sizes should be a last resort for the district with 6,000 students.
Thankfully, the board is going about the cuts in the right way. Board members are in the process of finalizing a committee made up of parents, teachers and staff that will comb through the budget and give input on where to trim. Having all sides represented and assessing the situation is the only way to make sure no one feels cheated. Also, we hope, the committee will give the board a balanced view of the community’s priorities.
While we’re far from certain that HSD has done everything in its power to stave off this bleak financial picture – the County Superintendent of Schools raised several questions about how the district spends its money – it is not fair to lay all the blame at the feet district administrators and board members. As they often point out, HSD is suffering from declining enrollment brought on by Hollister’s building moratorium that brought home construction to a halt in 2002. State funding is tied to attendance, so fewer students means less money for schools. HSD lost about $2 million this year because of declining enrollment and students transferring out of the district.
To the average Joe in Hollister, the effects of the moratorium might not have hit home yet. It’s true that local governments have had to cut their budgets and spend their reserves, but, overall, the services they provide have not dropped drastically. But here it is. Teachers likely will lose their jobs and class sizes are growing. This is a serious issue, that if not resolved soon, will have increasingly dire impacts on our community.
In the meantime, we encourage HSD to tighten up attendance projections to ensure it can field only the staff that is needed, and we encourage the community to take an active interest in the HSD budget cuts and the city building moratorium. After all, it is our children’s education at stake.
