As Santa Barbara’s Hope School District battles budget deficits, an all-volunteer education foundation is looking for philanthropic support to help fill in the fiscal gaps.
The district held a town hall meeting Monday night, and leaders discussed how Hope School District Education Foundation contributions can help the district’s finances in light of rising costs, reduced state funding and increased government mandates.
“This is public education and it’s a rocky road at times,” foundation president Holly Leck said. “It’s an adventure, but we get to help shape our children’s education in a big way. The foundation serves as a platform to bring ideas and funders together.”
The group wants to expand its campaigns to support funding in various areas, including investment in teachers, staffing for libraries, administrative support, instructional aids, and facility maintenance projects, Leck said.
The budget crisis has forced the district to lay off six full-time and three part-time teachers before the start of the 2017-18 school year.
Cutting the positions will save roughly $700,000 in salary and benefits.
Leck said the foundation is recruiting community members and advisors to get involved in a handful of areas.
“Our purpose is to sustain the Hope School District for the future,” Leck said.
The nonprofit is searching for people who are interested in business and community outreach, event planning, grant writing, public relations, graphic design and communication.
“It will take people to join for this (organization) to grow,” Leck said. “It’s not only financing but thinking creatively about how we can reach out to our community to improve our schools.”
The two-year campaign goal is $1 million, according to the organization’s website.
The foundation raised $260,000 last year and pulled some staffing positions off the chopping block.
“This group stabilized staffing in a big hurry,” Leck said. “To maintain our standards, we need a strong district foundation.”
The nonprofit was founded in 1993 in response to state budget cuts and funding reductions for school programs.
Hope School District serves approximately 1,000 students in Hope, Monte Vista and Vieja Valley elementary schools in northwestern Santa Barbara, but to what extent in the future remains to be seen.
Even with the staffing cuts, the district faces a large budget deficit and district officials may consider closing one of the campuses, reducing administration positions, creating larger class sizes and creating mixed-grade classes.
Parents, school staff members and principals were among the people who attended the packed meeting Monday night.
One speaker during public comment asked about the total amount of the budget deficit.
“It’s not a simple question,” Superintendent Anne Hubbard said. “Unfortunately, we have rising costs and unexpected expenses.”
Hubbard said about $1 million a year would help restore the shortfall.
The district operates under a $10-million budget annually, and is required to show a 1 percent reserve this year and a 4-percent reserve restored next year.
District leaders have until June 30 to come up with a financial plan for the next fiscal year.
“We have been doing a lot of research and working hard,” Hubbard said.
The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 13 at the Hope Elementary School District multipurpose room at 3970 La Colina Rd. in Santa Barbara.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
