Expenditure Reduction Proposals

Expenditure Reduction Proposals Devin Vodicka, Ed.D.

November 9, 2011

Background Information

• Carlsbad Unified School District faces a projected fiscal deficit of $10.6 million in 2012-13.

• San Diego County Office of Education will re-evaluate district budget at First Interim to determine if the budget should be certified as positive, qualified, or negative.

• First Interim Report is due December 15, 2011.

• Qualified or negative certification results in decreased local autonomy.

Expenditure Reduction Efforts

• Finding ways to save money has been an ongoing focus for years.

• At least 73 strategies from “Doing More With Less: A Guide to Effective Resource Management in California K-12 Education” have already been implemented.

• Class size has increased in grades 1-3.

• K-6 Home Study program was eliminated.

• General education Summer School was reduced (High School) and eliminated for grades K-8.

• Deferred maintenance budget was reduced.

• Site and department budgets have been reduced.

Reducing Expenses

• Positions have been eliminated or vacated: • Director of Curriculum and Instruction

• Admin Assistant—Language Assessment Center

• English Language Development Resource Teacher

• Instructional Aide—Computer Lab (two part-time positions)

• Librarian (two part-time positions)

• Executive Assistant, Business Services

Revenue Initiatives

• Joint-use agreements

• Rental/lease of district facilities

• Selling surplus equipment and vehicles

• Potential ballot initiatives in November 2012

• Unfortunate reality is that we can not yet “count” on these dollars

Expenditure Reduction Process

• Governing Board action on October 12th placed eighteen different expenditure categories into one of three groups:

• Strong potential for reduction

• Moderate potential for reduction

• Low potential for reduction

Expenditure Reduction Groupings Consideration for Reduction Expenditure Category

Group 1: Strong Sage Creek Delay

Reduce/Eliminate Admin/Management

Reduce/Eliminate Stipends

Employee Compensation Reductions

Reduce/Eliminate Travel & Conference

Reduce/Eliminate Site and Department Accounts

Reduce Special Ed

Reduce Textbook Expenses

Group 2: Moderate Closing School(s)

Reduce/Eliminate Classified Positions

Reduce/Eliminate Athletics

Reduce/Eliminate Contractual

Reduce/Eliminate Programs

Reduce Instructional Days

Group 3: Low Increase Class Size—Elementary

Increase Class Size—Middle

Increase Class Size—High School

Reduce/Eliminate Guidance

Analysis Teams

• Convened to focus on expenditure categories in “Strong” or “Moderate” potential for reduction groups

• Reviewed spending trends, current reality, and projections

• Brainstormed ways to reduce expenses

• Identified potential impact and additional considerations

• Summary of Analysis Team input provided in Board Packet

Survey

• Online survey launched on October 19, 2011

• 538 responses

• 404 of the respondents were parents

• Mixed feedback

• Sage Creek Delayed Opening:

• 56 respondents not in favor of any delay

• 55 respondents were in support of delay

• Strong support for reductions in travel/conference and admin/management

• Unsolicited feedback regarding class size was prevalent with strong opposition to higher numbers

Proposed Expenditure Reductions Recommendation Item Description Projected Savings Total

Take no action at this time

8 Reduce Textbook Expenses $0

N/A 12 Reduce/Eliminate Contractual $0

14 Reduce Instructional Days $289,576 per day in

employee costs

Strong Recommendation for Reductions

2 Eliminate 3 or more admin positions in 2012-13 $450,000

$1,529,702

3 Reduce Middle School Village Leader stipends $15,702

5 Eliminate Travel and Conference $60,000

6 Reduce Site and Department Accounts $454,000

7 Reduce Special Education $530,000

11 Reduce Athletic Budget $20,000

Moderate Recommendation for Reductions

1a, 1b, 1c, 1d Sage Creek Delay $200,000 to $493,822

$2,532,445 to $2,826,267

9 Closing schools $800,000

10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e

Eliminate Classified Positions $952,221

13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e, 13f, 13g, 13h, 13i, 13j, 13k, 13l

Eliminate Programs $580,224

Total $4,062,147 to

$4,355,969

Take No Action

• Reducing Textbook Expenses

• Already cut to $20 per student

• Significant complications due to Williams Settlement compliance

• Potential possibilities in future with adoptions and new school openings

• Reducing/Eliminating Contractual

• Procedural changes may result in some savings

• Reducing Instructional Days

• Workyear must be negotiated through collective bargaining

Strong Recommendation for Reduction • Eliminate 3 or more administration positions.

• Reduce number of Middle School Village Leader stipends.

• Sweep travel and conference budgets and reduce allocations in 2012-13.

• Reduce special education budget due to savings in Non-Public School (NPS) and Non-Public Agency (NPA) costs.

• Reduce athletics budget by using less charter bussing, fewer substitutes and a reduced budget for playoff stipends.

Moderate Recommendation for Reduction • Review Sage Creek options

• Closing Schools

• Elimination of Classified Positions

• Elimination of Programs

Sage Creek Options

• 1a: Reduce start-up budget in 2012-13 and still open as scheduled in 2013-14

• Potential Savings in 2012-13: $200,000

• 1b: Delay opening until 2014-15 which shifts start-up costs to 2013-14

• Potential Savings in 2012-13: $493,822

• 1c: Move Calavera Hills Middle School to Sage Creek campus and use available space to balance elementary school enrollment

• Potential Savings Unknown

• 1d: Open Sage Creek at 6th-12th grade “school of choice”

• Potential Savings Unknown

Closing School(s)

• Recommend convening districtwide committee to determine best method to identify and implement closure of two schools and relocation of district office with intent to rent/lease as a strategy to generate revenue.

• Committee would bring specific proposal for Board Approval in February 2012. School closures would be implemented in 2012-13.

• Approximate savings of $400,000 per school closure.

Eliminating Classified Positions

• 10a: Eliminate Instructional Assistant-Computer Lab and add one Computer Technician

• 10b: Eliminate Guidance Technicians

• 10c: Eliminate School Administrative Assistant—Assistant Principal (Valley)

• 10d: Eliminate Accompanist (Valley)

• 10e: Eliminate 4 district office positions TBD

Reduce/Eliminate Programs

• 13a: Cal-Safe Program • 13b: School Resource Officers • 13c: Kontraband (drug sniffing dogs) • 13d: Add Up drug intervention program • 13e: Eliminate 1.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Campus Safety

Assistant • 13f: Reduce Student Services Support Specialist from 1.0 FTE to .5

FTE • 13g: Reduce GATE Testing Expenses • 13h: Reduce Articulation and Curriculum Meetings • 13i: Reduce Schoolwise Press (School Accountability Report Cards) • 13j: Reduce Middle School Independent Study PE expenses • 13k: Provide for flexibility with Independent Study PE in grades 9-12

which would result in elimination of 1.0 FTE PE Teacher • 13l: Eliminate 1.0 FTE certificated librarian

Recommendation • Recognizing that the balance of any remaining projected fiscal deficit will need to be

resolved through reductions in employee total compensation through the collective bargaining process, we recommend the following:

• Taking no action on expenditure reduction items 8, 12, and 14. • Textbook expenses • Contractual services • Instructional days

• Strong recommendation to approve expenditure reductions 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 11. • Administration positions • Middle School stipends • Travel and Conference • Site and department accounts • Special education budget • Athletic budget

• Recommend discussion and selective actions on “Moderate Recommendation” items 1, 9, 10, and 13. • Sage Creek • School Closures • Classified Positions • Programs