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Windsor schools prepare for state budget cuts
by JOE ROSENHEIM
Staff Writer
As it awaits the announcement of California’s final budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the Windsor Unified School District has developed a worst-case scenario plan of 25% cuts both in administrative operations and the unrestricted general fund for schools – although much smaller cuts are more likely.
“We use the estimates provided to us by the state, and the guidelines by the Sonoma County Office of Education,” said Chief Business Officer Mary Downey. “They give us assumptions that are usually worst-case scenarios.”
The district has already made $1.5 million in cuts (6.5% of the total budget), and Downey said that any additional cuts would be made in the administrative sector first.
“If we can’t balance we’ll pull out the cuts in the administrative budget,” Downey said. “We hope to retain the rest – we’re leaving the schools for last.”
The existing cuts are in several areas – chief of which, according to Superintendent Steve Herrington, are savings in special education. He said those savings are a product both of appropriating the transportation of students from a vendor and relocating the site for the north county special education program from Windsor to Healdsburg – where the majority of its students reside.
“That’s $200,000 in savings itself,” Herrington said.
Other cuts include scaling back utility expenses and cutting three positions inside the administrative ranks — the technology director, English learner coordinator and assistant superintendent (Jeff Harding, who is leaving to become superintendent of Healdsburg Unified).
What makes the district’s budgeting particularly difficult, Herrington said, is that it’s contingent on a state budget that doesn’t yet exist. The state generally releases its plan by July 1, but Herrington guessed it would take until October this year because of the economic downturn – while Windsor’s tentative budget comes out June 30. He said the state is short on money and will likely hold onto what they have as long as possible to collect the interest.
“I’m taking every austere measure I can to be ready for (a tight state budget),” he said.
After the state’s budget is released, schools have 45 days to revise and finalize their budget plans.
“That’s the irony of it – we have to adopt our budget by June 30 and the state’s supposed to adopt by July 1, and we wait and wait.”
Meanwhile, the district is set to begin construction in August on a number of projects funded by the passage of a $47.3 million school bond in February. They’ve sold $14.6 million of the bond money so far, which will help finance what Herrington called the “first phase” of the project. That will include construction of a science wing and track and field facility at Windsor High School and a north parking lot at Cali Calmécac Language Academy, among other projects.
The bond money itself will go toward planning and “site work” for the construction projects, while actual building will be financed by state matching funds. Herrington said the entire construction project will probably continue through 2010.
“While we’re doing the preparation work we concurrently file with the state for construction funds,” he said. “So when we’re done with site work we’re ready to do construction. It’s a dual track.”
“We use the estimates provided to us by the state, and the guidelines by the Sonoma County Office of Education,” said Chief Business Officer Mary Downey. “They give us assumptions that are usually worst-case scenarios.”
The district has already made $1.5 million in cuts (6.5% of the total budget), and Downey said that any additional cuts would be made in the administrative sector first.
“If we can’t balance we’ll pull out the cuts in the administrative budget,” Downey said. “We hope to retain the rest – we’re leaving the schools for last.”
The existing cuts are in several areas – chief of which, according to Superintendent Steve Herrington, are savings in special education. He said those savings are a product both of appropriating the transportation of students from a vendor and relocating the site for the north county special education program from Windsor to Healdsburg – where the majority of its students reside.
“That’s $200,000 in savings itself,” Herrington said.
Other cuts include scaling back utility expenses and cutting three positions inside the administrative ranks — the technology director, English learner coordinator and assistant superintendent (Jeff Harding, who is leaving to become superintendent of Healdsburg Unified).
What makes the district’s budgeting particularly difficult, Herrington said, is that it’s contingent on a state budget that doesn’t yet exist. The state generally releases its plan by July 1, but Herrington guessed it would take until October this year because of the economic downturn – while Windsor’s tentative budget comes out June 30. He said the state is short on money and will likely hold onto what they have as long as possible to collect the interest.
“I’m taking every austere measure I can to be ready for (a tight state budget),” he said.
After the state’s budget is released, schools have 45 days to revise and finalize their budget plans.
“That’s the irony of it – we have to adopt our budget by June 30 and the state’s supposed to adopt by July 1, and we wait and wait.”
Meanwhile, the district is set to begin construction in August on a number of projects funded by the passage of a $47.3 million school bond in February. They’ve sold $14.6 million of the bond money so far, which will help finance what Herrington called the “first phase” of the project. That will include construction of a science wing and track and field facility at Windsor High School and a north parking lot at Cali Calmécac Language Academy, among other projects.
The bond money itself will go toward planning and “site work” for the construction projects, while actual building will be financed by state matching funds. Herrington said the entire construction project will probably continue through 2010.
“While we’re doing the preparation work we concurrently file with the state for construction funds,” he said. “So when we’re done with site work we’re ready to do construction. It’s a dual track.”
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