District Faces New Round of Budget Cuts, Deasy Warns

By Jorge Casuso

Jan. 28 -- The School District may have to slash at least 23 programs to bridge a looming $3.5 million deficit under a state budget proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Superintendent John Deasy warned in a memo released Tuesday.

Deasy’s memo comes as education advocates descended on City Hall Tuesday night to urge the City Council, which gave $5.25 million to the district last year, to maintain, if not boost, its funding when it hammers out a budget in May.

Deasy’s memo details programs and services facing elimination next year, including Early Intervention for School Success, Advanced Placement Support, Bilingual Teacher Training and home-to-school transportation.

The district may also be forced to make “draconian” cuts in social services, especially in health, in the public use of school facilities by the public and in special education, Deasy said.

“The quality of a community’s education doesn’t collapse overnight, “Deasy said in a prepared statement. “It erodes bit-by-bit, population-by-population. We are now in a position of telling the children in our district that we can provide excellent education for them -- except if they need bilingual teaching or Advanced Placement support or early intervention.

“Despite the extraordinary support this district has seen from its residents, we continue to be faced with yearly cuts and reductions that we can simply no longer absorb without cutting programs and services.”

In his memo, Deasy noted the all programs ended to bridge last year’s budget deficit will remain suspended.

“Be reminded that we have not replaced the cuts made last year, and that it is not possible to expect us to do so in the budget preparation,” Deasy wrote. “This does NOT include maintaining any reduction of programs proposed by the Governor in his budget. We will face reduction in force, and again cut back in services, to experience a balanced budget.”

Any cuts in funding from the City -- which must also tighten its fiscal belt -- would further widen the district’s budget gap, Deasy said.

“Any loss of current support from other sources of revenue, like the support we have this year from the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu (which gave $385,000 last year), will translate directly into greater cuts in personnel and services for our students,” Deasy wrote.

The district’s budget woes would worsen if California voters fail to approve propositions 57 and 58, which will appear on the March ballot, Deasy said. Proposition 57 would allow California to borrow $15 billion through the sale of bonds to help narrow the state budget gap, while Proposition 58 requires the state to adopt a balanced budget.

“If the voters do not pass these propositions, the budget will require MAJOR revision,” Deasy wrote.

The cuts proposed in Deasy’s memo are a “prudent initial course of action that takes into account the great amount of uncertainty in this year's budget deliberations.”

Parent representatives said they are tired of the endless budget cuts that are jeopardizing not only the future of a quality education, but the city’s well being.

“Every year it’s the same thing,” PTA Council President Maria Rodriguez said in a prepared statement. “School budgets get slashed, expenses rise, programs are cut and children suffer.

“Our district has been smart with its money so far and determined not to let any child slip through the cracks. But we just can’t absorb more cuts. These cuts and the next round and the rounds after that will take years to be felt by our city.”

The “only option,” Rodriguez said is to forge a partnership with the Cities of Santa Monica and Malibu.