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How to survive $2.9 million deficit?
Cuts to teaching positions loom as student enrollment lags in Lodi Unified School District
By Jennifer Bonnett
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Updated: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 6:17 AM PDTNews-Sentinel Staff Writer
More than 10 teacher positions may have to be cut in Lodi Unified School District due to lagging student enrollment. A decrease in students equals a decrease in funding since the district receives money from the state based on per-pupil daily attendance.
Even after making spending adjustments within each school, the district needs to make up a $2.9 million loss of revenue.
"This is a significant financial impact to our district," Associate Superintendent Odie Douglas told board members at Tuesday's meeting.
The district is down roughly 500 students, according to Carrie Hargis, the district's director of budgets. The figure takes into account last school year and the beginning of this school year.
That, coupled with a yet-to-be passed state budget, is making solid financial forecasts hard to come by for district officials. The district, like others up and down California, do not know how much money they will receive from the state this school year.
"We are flying blind because we don't have a budget," school board president Ken Davis said. "And we are looking down at the gas tank, and it's empty."
Hargis and Douglas will return to the Sept. 16 school board meeting with recommendations on staffing issues. At that time, a vote on how to proceed will be taken.
"Whatever option, it will be seriously disruptive. It will disrupt the lives of parents and of children," Davis said.
Also on the agenda
In other action, the Lodi Unified School District:— News-Sentinel staff
Board member Calvin Young was surprised by the sudden fall in enrollment figures; at the end of last school year, the number was much lower.
Hargis reported Tuesday that as of Aug. 22, the district was down an additional 316 students. Historically, schools lose more students as the year progresses, so the decrease could jump even more.
"This just seems really big, really fast," Young said. "People have to go (to school) somewhere."
But officials blame the statewide trend on home foreclosures as well as more and more younger families moving out of state.
Davis said more than half of the state's 1,100 school districts are seeing declining enrollment figures.
Galt Joint Union Elementary School District is suffering a similar slump. On Tuesday, Superintendent Karen Schauer told a group gathered to discuss school boundaries that enrollment figures were down 130 students at the end of last year. As of Friday, there were another estimated 70 not enrolled, bringing the total to 200 less than the 2006-2007 school year.
Jeff Johnston, vice president of the LUSD teachers union, urged the board to consider options other than laying off teachers mid-year and asked Douglas to meet with them before the Sept. 16 meeting.
Contact reporter Jennifer Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com.
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Reader Feedback
Lets Be Real wrote on Sep 7, 2008 1:30 PM:
Thanks for offering some additional details. It really helps me - and probably other readers' - understand how you (I take it that you are a teacher in the district) see things. It seems then, that the issue that perhaps many of you and your colleagues (I would guess that many of them commented on this story) take issue with is the number of management positions in the district.
Speaking from a business perspective, it would seem that the best course of action would be to have a sit down between labor and management so that the two sides could, at the least, get a better understanding of the two side's points of views. If I was offering labor relation consulting services to the district, this is what I would suggest. I would bet that a lot of new information would be learned from both sides that would greatly effect this ongoing conversation. "
teach247365 wrote on Sep 7, 2008 10:13 AM:
Lets Be Real wrote on Sep 6, 2008 12:54 PM:
How insane would it be fot me to fire myself or my senior advisers at a time when I needed their advice the most?
Listening to these comments, sometimes it seems that logic is not the motivation.
By the way, is Mr. Douglas the only adminstrator at the central office? He is brought up so many times in these comment sections that one might assume that no one else worked there. Or is he the only ..... "
edumacation wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:43 PM:
Vickster wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:17 AM:
commonsense wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:43 AM:
Too much dead wait in the District Office. Keep the education in the classroom where it is should be, and clean house on East Vine street. Now how the effects the amount the State pays the District, I am not sure? "
edumacation wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:50 PM:
You can survey most pubic school districts and get similar results. A large percentage of ALL science and math teachers have BACHELORS degrees in PE or similar "hard majors". I have never heard of courses in calculus or thermodynamics being taught in the physical education curriculum. We need to get rid of the "credential" scam. I don't think it would be any worse for our kids if their parents tried to teach them Trigonometry instead of a badminton coach. Parents have only one chance. The badminton coach gets to "try to learn and teach" math with hundreds of students a year, trying to stay one textbook page ahead of the students.
If you want to watch these educrats wince, ask them about HOUSSE. This is a credential LOOPHOLE that must be closed. "
dogs4you wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:59 PM:
Giovanina wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:47 PM:
Education is about the teachers and students and those of direct support services.
The district has been purposely paying less for subs then trying to get the teachers to cover on their prep, which costs the taxpayers more. Subs get $100/day while most teachers get between $25-$38 per period of coverage.
Now the district is hiring foreign teachers that are temporary, and remain at the bottom of the pay scale during their contract time.
Also, they continue to hire inexperienced administrators which is not needed in a "state improvement" district. "
DevilDog66 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:25 PM:
Whoa Nellie! wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:52 PM:
That Sub will get NO work at any school in the district. All it takes is to get "IN" at about 5 schools and you can work almost every day. Make friends with the Secretary and you will get calls for last minute jobs.
The situation is so bad for quality Subs that if a teacher "finds" one they like they will call that Sub every time they are ill or have a class to attend.
But really, do you want to work for $100 a day or for $150?
Are you listening LUSD Board & Ms Chief? "
edumacation wrote on Sep 3, 2008 3:00 PM:
This looks like a GOOD place to start cutting!
May I suggest to go down to letter "P" for "Personnel" under this menu. This bureacracy is where our 100 day and million dollar interim Superintendent has been residing. I wonder of there are more wannabe "administrators" in the hallways looking for "mo money"?
There is NO REASON why all these OVERHEAD departments can't be consolidated with the bloat over at the San Joaquin County Department of Education. We see all these merry-go-round departments in public edumacation and they are populated with pencil pushers and educrats. Why can't we for once start holding these desk jockeys accountable to the taxpayers.
No consultants are needed.
My idea:
1) Transfer RESPONSIBILITIES to the County Dept of Education bureaucracy. They have the SAME job titles and this bureacracy also represents more NEEDLESS JOB LAYERING.
2) The departments whose "work" can be accomplished PROFESSIONALLY can be CONTRACTED OUT. Banks have been handling payroll services for years. "
Lodian wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:38 PM:
roni95242 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:58 AM:
get rid of 10 ppl at the TOP and throw in a few administrators.
Keep the teachers and reduce class size a bit!!
NOW THERE IS A PLAN!
less students = less administrators= less associate sups and so on.... "
Lodian wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:45 AM:
taNDC wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:42 AM:
taNDC wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:39 AM:
These positions could be filled by two personnel who could move from school to school as needed and replace the assistant at every school. Don't the computers do most of their tasks for them already? If their daily tasks are logged on computer, the information should be there for an experienced"floating" assistant principal to remedy the problem. Just maybe the person aware of those problems just doesn't want it to be solved in a timely manner merely to keep their desk job.
This is just the beginning of the cuts and only drastic measures like this will solve the problem. "
Whoa Nellie! wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:20 AM:
However, T&C's idea to move those cut positions into the classroom is wrong. Most admin employees would not be qualified with no credential.
One month into the new school year and I hear that LUSD is hurting for Substitute Teachers. Many are working in other districts due to low pay of only $100 per day. The same exact amount that was paid in...1985! 23years and no increase? "
Audi 5000 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:15 AM:
marzo2008 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:32 AM:
taNdc wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:29 AM:
commonsense wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:07 AM:
taNdc wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:41 AM:
This would create an excellent scenario for smaller classrooms if enrollment is declining. Laying off those overpaid "helpers" in administration could keep those 10 teachers. At least 3 teachers could be utilized for one high-paid assistant in LUSD. How many employees there are just decorations?
That situation should be considered before laying off any teachers. Or maybe those pencil pushers could serve a dual purpose and be moved to the classrooms with pay according to experience. "
Comments on this story are now closed.