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With two weeks to go until an expected vote on major budget reductions, Mountain View Whisman’s school board on Thursday night got its first chance to discuss the specific programs and positions that administrators were recommending for elimination – and the trustees were reticent to go ahead with a number of the suggested cuts.
Facing stagnating property tax revenue and escalating expenses, the district is looking to cut its annual spending by at least $9 million. The board is expected to vote on the cuts at a Jan. 29 meeting.
On Thursday, Jan. 15, district administrators presented the board with roughly $10 million to $11.5 million in potential cuts, including reducing district office staff, eliminating dedicated teachers for either PE or STEAM instruction, cutting back existing preschool offerings and having less technology in classrooms.
While board members seemed generally open to options like switching custodial services to be every other night and curtailing technology for younger grades, some of the bigger ticket items prompted concern from board members.
“The [cuts] that feel easier to me are the things that, if things change in the future, are easier to change back,” board member Lisa Henry said.
Trustees expressed uncertainty about making cuts to the district’s state preschool program, eliminating free after-school care for low-income students, and getting rid of dedicated teaching positions for science, technology, engineering, arts and math instruction.
Many of the board members’ questions to administrators centered around the logistics of what the cuts would look like if implemented and what the district could do to increase revenue streams, such as seeking more grant opportunities from local and state agencies.
Board member Ana Reed questioned whether it might be possible to make just a portion of the budget cuts now and wait until next year to make the other reductions, highlighting that changes of this magnitude would be a lot for staff to handle. Additionally, she asked administrators to provide an estimate of how much could be saved by temporarily freezing the salary ranges for district leadership, which garnered support from fellow trustees.
Community members weigh in on potential cuts
Parents, teachers and other community members filled the board room on Thursday, with many more watching the meeting online. In total, 20 speakers addressed the board to share their opinions on the potential cuts.
The public commenters urged board members to consider options that would minimize the impact of students, with some instead favoring reducing staff at the district office.
“When it comes to what we pay for [for administrators], we’re not really getting what we paid for,” parent Ling Wang said. “I hope we can look into making changes there.”
Multiple speakers raised concerns about cutting the district’s preschool offerings. In recent days, a petition urging the district to keep its preschool program open has gained more than 300 signatures.
Currently, Mountain View Whisman receives funding through the California State Preschool Program to run part-day preschool to eligible children. The district also provides full-day preschool and after-school programming at below-market rates, but doesn’t receive state reimbursement for these offerings.
Administrators recommended either returning to only part-day preschool or trying to modify its state contract to cover both part-day and full-day preschool. However, in either case, only families who are eligible for the state preschool program would be able to participate. The state program is aimed at supporting low-income and otherwise underserved families.
Community members urged the board to protect preschool. Liliana Camacho, a district parent and organizer with Parent Voices – a childcare advocacy group – stressed the importance of both preschool and the district’s free afterschool offering for low income students, called the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program.
“Preschools give our youngest children a strong start in their education, and the ELOP provides a safe, structural place for our school aged children after school,” Camacho said. “Both allow parents to work, knowing that their children are safe and supported.”
Board members provide input on budget reductions
During the board’s discussion, trustee Devon Conley opposed making changes to the district’s preschool offerings.
“I have no interest in changing preschool,” Conley said. “There is years and years and years of research about how preschool access … has a tremendous impact on children, not just on how they do academically, but overall life outcomes down the road.”
Conley also suggested that the board hold off on making any cuts to ELOP. She highlighted that if they decided to cut that program, it would leave many vulnerable students with no place to go, unless the district is able to expand its current Beyond the Bell program.
Board member Bill Lambert expressed concerns about eliminating the dedicated teachers for STEAM instruction. Administrators’ recommendation would mean that classroom teachers take on science instruction, but Lambert highlighted that preparing for labs takes a lot of time, which could be a challenge for regular classroom teachers.
Making cuts to STEAM was also a difficult proposition for board member Lisa Henry. Conley, on the other hand, said that she doesn’t have a firm stance on which program, STEAM or PE, should see changes, but noted that she thinks it makes sense to remove dedicated staff for at least one of them from the budget.
Lambert asked if administrators had any examples of other districts using custodial services every other night rather than nightly. Superintendent Jeff Baier responded that the Los Altos School District, which he led until 2022, had implemented this reduction to save money. Henry said later in the meeting that she’d be comfortable reducing custodial services because it seems like something that could be reversed down the line.
While trying to process the recommendations ahead of the looming vote at the end of the month, board president Charles DiFazio asked administrators to come back with more information on how the district intends to track the effects of the cuts, once they’re made.
“We’re tasked with making changes with limited information about what the impacts will be, and so there’s uncertainty about this,” DiFazio said.
I don’t think Devon has read the latest research showing the impact of preschool. It’s a lot less stronger than once thought. A simple good search could get her up to speed on the new conflicting data.
https://education.virginia.edu/news-stories/investigating-long-term-effects-early-childhood-education