Preparations have been 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.
Preparations have been 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.
See the full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
