February 18, 2004

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

District downcast after latest budget setback

by Bill D'Agostino

How serious has the Palo Alto school district's budget situation gotten? Shutting down an elementary school is on a list of possible choices to close an ever-growing $4 million shortfall.

An emergency school board meeting was called Friday morning to discuss the deteriorating 2004-2005 budget, after the district learned Wednesday its deficit had grown from $3 million to $4 million due to decreasing property tax revenue.

"I wish we were gathering on a happier note, but that doesn't seem to be the way things have been going this year," board President Cathy Kroymann said at the outset of the Friday get-together.

School board member Mandy Lowell called the announcement a "bombshell."

Although no one directly said it at the meeting, the bad budget news obviously increases the chances of layoffs in the district. Perhaps cautious of that information, Superintendent Mary Frances Callan told those in attendance on Friday that every district employee is valued.

Despite looking into a group of increasingly worried faces, Callan tried to strike a hopeful chord, even as she warned "we still have several more unknowns to face."

"I know that this affects morale," Callan said. "I can't believe that anyone who would have their job in jeopardy ... would feel good about that. If they did, I would question their sanity. No one feels good about this. But we're going to do it, as we did last year, together as an educational community."

After the meeting, the list of "potential choices" was released along with a schedule of public gatherings to hear public input on the budget. For the first time in numerous years of budget cutting -- and following a fight last year with the state over basic-aid funding -- this year the district has held public meetings on the budget, a further sign of how nervous officials are.

Among the list of other "choices" for handling the newly-expanded shortfall is a proposal to remove one teacher from each high school, lay off a secretary and delete the Spectra Art program.

While the list could change dramatically by the time the district announces its proposed cuts on March 3 and the board votes on the budget six days later, Kroymann said removing one teacher from each high school is "certainly very possible."

Closing a school would save $400,000, while removing one teacher per high school would save $143,482. Ending the art program would save $65,000. Kroymann said closing a school was not very likely, although she added it was only not likely "in this round of budget cuts."

Adding anxiety to an already nervous discussion, Deputy Superintendent Bob Golton warned that the $4 million shortfall could rise again later, as the district gets more property tax data throughout the year.

"The final chapter in this story has yet to be written," Golton said.

The new "potential choices" are in addition to $1.5 million in proposed cuts that the district announced during Tuesday night's board meeting. Callan warned on Friday that the original list was not likely to be as flexible now that even more budget cuts were needed.

The district is hoping the final $1.5 million of the $4 million projected shortfall will be made up through private fund-raising efforts.

The superintendent also announced that personnel contracts would not be re-opened this year, despite the recent bad news. "We do not have time to do that in a thoughtful and caring manner," Callan said.

District officials had earlier proposed unpaid days off for employees, to lessen other cuts, but the teacher's union rejected the notion, refusing to even meet for discussions.

At Friday's meeting, district officials also announced they are seeking the community's advice for how to handle next year's budget, through a series of 13 public and staff meetings.

While parent leaders said they appreciated the chance to give input, they are also concerned the public's recommendations could get caught in the "trap of the 'Palo Alto process.'"

"Sometimes it feels that the process asks for the input and then very politely sets it aside," PTA President Kate Hill said.

Two public meetings on the budget will be held at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 and Feb 23 in Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School's cafetorium. Meetings with staff and union officials will be held separately throughout the month of February.

School board member Camille Townsend said people should not edit their ideas for trimming the budget when they come to the meetings.

"There is nothing too small; there is nothing too large," Townsend said. "I don't see the problem going away this year."

The outreach meetings were planned after the district learned about their worsening budget situation on Wednesday.

More than 30 people attended the 11 a.m. meeting, surprising officials who did not have enough handouts at the beginning of the meeting.

"We were not anticipating such interest in this meeting," Kroymann said.

Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com More information on the budget can be found on the district's Web site www.pausd.palo-alto.ca.us

E-mail a friend a link to this story.