Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Deficit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Francisco school board approves two-year budget action plan, adds equity impact report
Summary
The Board of Education approved a framework to address a projected $113 million shortfall over two years, approving staff-recommended cuts and adding an amendment requiring an equity impact report and ongoing community review before the June budget adoption.
The San Francisco Unified School District board voted to approve a two-year budget deficit action plan aimed at addressing a projected $113,000,000 shortfall through fiscal 2011–12, but amended the resolution to require an equity impact report and continued public engagement.
Deputy Superintendent Myung Lee told the board the measure was a "framework for how we're gonna develop the budget for the next 2 years," and emphasized: "This is not a final budget this evening." The staff presentation outlined options including differentiated furlough days for higher-paid employees, elimination of 10–12 central administrative positions and steep reductions in some academic and professional-development budgets.
Parents, teachers and union leaders filled the board chamber during public comment, urging the board to prioritize protecting classroom positions and urging more transparency. An 11-person delegation from El Dorado Elementary said 11 of 15 classroom teachers had received layoff notices, arguing that cuts should be moved away from school sites where possible.
United Educators of San Francisco president Dennis Kelly criticized the district—9s bargaining approach and raised concerns about the scale of consultant spending relative to proposed personnel cuts. Deputy Superintendent Lee and other staff said the plan is intended to be adjusted as bargaining, state budget developments and community feedback proceed.
Commissioner Feuer proposed, and the board accepted by consensus, language adding an equity impact report to the requested action so staff must prepare an analysis describing how proposed budget decisions will affect particular groups of students and schools. The board adopted the plan as amended by roll call (the chair announced seven ayes).
Next steps: staff will continue to analyze programmatic impacts, hold community office hours and refine recommendations before the superintendent—9s formal budget proposal in June. The amendment requires the equity report to be used in the development of the annual budget and to allow modifications to the action plan based on its findings.
Why it matters: The plan sets the policy parameters the district will use while negotiations and state budget assumptions continue. If the state funding picture does not improve, district officials warned, changes likely will include reduced instructional days, furloughs and staff reductions that will affect school operations in 2010–11 and 2011–12.
