- Home
- News Grid
- Local News
- Green Hawk
- Politics
- School Zone
- Youth Camps
- Nonprofits
- Missing Pets
- Multimedia
- Arts
- Movies
- Outdoors
- Sports
- News Releases
- Columnists
- Blogs
- Opinions
- Classifieds
- Advertise
- Donate
- Partners
Santa Barbara School District Looking for Ways to Cut $6 Million from Budget
The Santa Barbara School District must slash its upcoming budget by at least $6 million through cuts to programs and staff, and officials say they can no longer keep those cuts from affecting the classroom.
School board members told staff to have a final reading of the budget ready Feb. 23, and they will discuss the planned cuts at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Certain cost-cutting measures require the cooperation of employee associations, so it’s possible additional measures to cut costs and increase revenues will be on the way if agreements can’t be made.
The largest program cuts in the Fiscal Solvency Plan are proposals to eliminate Home School Santa Barbara and La Cuesta/Dos Pueblos Continuation School.
The change to basic aid makes Home School Santa Barbara, which includes kindergarten through sixth grade, less financially viable, and eliminating it would save $200,000 next year.
The two full-time teachers at La Cuesta/Dos Pueblos Continuation School aren’t justified by its low enrollment, according to district staff, so students most likely would move to Dos Pueblos High School or Alta Vista Alternative High School.
To reduce overstaffing in the secondary district, all class-size maximums would be enforced. Reducing faculty by about 45 full-time equivalents would save more than $3.3 million. It would be the second attempt to manipulate class size to reduce costs. With the one-time budget cuts last fall, kindergarten through third-grade class sizes were bumped from a 20-1 ratio to 25-1.
Class-size caps have long been a problem for the district because of the limited flexibility, Superintendent Brian Sarvis said.
Reducing the number of on-site psychologists would save nearly $500,000, and eliminating the elementary district summer school program would save $85,000.
Other administrative cuts include replacing a Santa Barbara Community Academy principal with a head teacher, reducing the number of administrative assistants in junior high schools and eliminating career center technician positions, one child development program coordinator and alternative education staff.
The administrator of safety, welfare and attendance position, currently held by Bud Andrews, also could be eliminated to save about $82,000. Andrews’ duties could be assigned to Michael Gonzalez, the director of student services and compliance.
Besides moving some funds around, the district plans to put one of its waste-hauling contracts up for bid to lower the cost, replace local phone lines with voice-over Internet protocol, and have the Santa Barbara Police Department reinstated as the source for crossing guard program funds.
The police stopped funding the program last year, and the school board appropriated $112,000 to pay for it. This year, the staff recommends that police restore funding, since it is a public safety issue.
School board meetings are held in the board room of the Santa Barbara School District administration office, 720 Santa Barbara St. Regular meetings now begin at 6 p.m.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Comments
Noozhawk's comments are moderated, but by posting here you accept your responsibility to follow our rules.
- No abusive, defamatory or libelous attacks. In plain English: No personal attacks.
- No vulgar or discriminatory language.
- If you do not follow these rules, don't be surprised if your comment is removed.
- Please use the Report Abuse button on offensive comments.
- Share what you know, ask about what you don't. Give us your eyewitness accounts, observations, background and history. Tell us what else you want to know about the story.
- Stay on the topic, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK, and forgive people their spelling errors.
Noozhawk's intent is not to limit the discussion of our stories but to elevate it. Thank you for your respectful participation. Click here for our complete Terms of Use.
Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.
» on 02.08.10 @ 11:34 PM
The average taxpayer had to make it on less, its now our civil servants turn—They work for us not the unions—Unions have paid off Helene schnieder—Grant house and Das williams—all tax and spend fools..
Remember Civil servants—Ha ha…
» on 02.09.10 @ 08:53 AM
Cut Sarvis and diviy his duties up amongst the other assistant superintendents savings $205,000
» on 02.09.10 @ 09:43 AM
If you look around town, there are many delayable sidewalk improvement projects going on. The cost of these currently useless projects far exceed what the schools need. The likely answer from the City is that these are funded by “grants”. Those kind of answers are likely why the stimulus hasn’t done anything. Also, ask what the school district did with their stimulus money. I understand that they bought out contracts of teachers. These buy outs included cash bonuses, free health care and consulting contracts.
» on 02.09.10 @ 10:04 AM
Let’s face it. We need tough action. We need to raise money. How to do it? Well, eliminating a sacred cow , Proposition 13, would be a start. And, we need to get rid of the 2/3 legislative vote requirement to pass budget and tax measures.
Yes, I’m sorry. I think we need to grow up and pay for the things we value.
» on 02.09.10 @ 10:37 AM
All those sidewalk improvements. bulb outs, new parking garages, etc are funded through the redevelopment agency (RDA).
In 1968 Santa Barbara declared the downtown area a ‘blight’ area which allowed them to divert the increases in property taxes for that area to the city’s RDA. RDA can only spend it’s money on infrastructure improvements and 20% must go to low income housing.
Today the RDA is funded with $20M/year of property tax skimmed off the top of the downtown area’s tax bills. Approx 60% of property tax goes to fund K-12 . So instead of $12M of school funding we get brick sidewalks and bulb outs.
It is time to close down the RDA, change our school finding to basic aid and let the money go to the schools.
» on 02.09.10 @ 11:49 AM
Look at what is best to educate our children. Start at the top with administration positions and salaries. Get rid of tenure and reward teachers who are doing above average jobs in their classrooms and reward teachers who are not with pink slips.
» on 02.09.10 @ 02:08 PM
The State of CA per person revenue is #20 in the nation. Not a bad position. However our spending on k-12 places us at #47
Eliminating prop 13 is not the answer. Increasing taxes would just allow us to spend more on gov’t salaries, benefits and pensions.
We need to start with re-prioritizing our spending and budgeting
» on 02.09.10 @ 03:50 PM
The cailf taxpayers are already overtaxed, and its time to cut wages and staff in government like everyone else—Break the unions in Government—vote out the puppets that are controlled by them..
Bob you or a family member must be working for, or on welfare through Government..
The gravy train is over, and we can’t afford higher taxes—Sorry…
» on 02.09.10 @ 09:01 PM
Before you comment, do your research. Please use this space to enlighten, not infuriate. There is already plenty of that. For example, city and school district budgets have nothing to do with each other. Before you complain, volunteer!
My two cents:
1. Bud Andrews is intelligent and committed.
2. We can’t afford to cut psychologists, especially now.
3. Our administration is already way too thin. I don’t care how much they make. We are idiots if we listen to people who say to cut them.
4. Renegotiate maintenance contracts. Go private. I know…the union.
» on 02.09.10 @ 10:09 PM
As a basic aid district school funding comes directly from local property tax. The city and county effects this is many ways. They allow property to be annexed to tax exempt entities therefore reducing property tax and many times increasing the student load (think affordable, workforce and low incoming housing).
The city and county also formed redevelopment agencies (RDA’s) that take money from property taxes and redirct it to projects like sidewalk improvements and parking garages.
Even if a school district is not basic aid, these actions by the city and county redirect funds that would go to the state that would then be available for schools. RDA’s in CA alone redirect $5B a year from tax revenue. Hope we all enjoy the new brick sidewalks downtown.
Given the stagnate and decreasing funding from the state for schools more and more schools, including SB, are going basic aid and the actions of the city and county can be directly seem as taking money away from the schools.
Let’s all do our homework.
More Local News »
Relive the ‘80s at Auction for Santa Barbara Charter School
Signed TV scripts and a custom surfboard will be among Saturday's featured items
Cate School Reports Record Admissions Pool
The class of 2014 will represent 20 states and 10 countries
Laguna Blanca First-Graders Present ‘Weather the Weather’
The musical production will be performed Thursday and Friday
Montecito Union School Principal in Limbo
MUS board releases her from her position as part of organizational restructuring, but says Kris Bergstrom can continue to work for the district
Author to Discuss the ‘Fix’ for Education
Trevor Eissler will talk Friday in Goleta about what's needed to improve the traditional school system
Weather: Fair 55.0º
Search Noozhawk »
