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Following feedback from the school board and community members, Mountain View Whisman administrators have revised their list of recommended budget cuts to protect certain district programs such as state preschool, free after-school care for low-income students, and dedicated STEAM and PE teachers.
As the district grapples with dropping revenues and rising expenses, the school board is expected to vote on multi-million dollar budget reductions this week, at a Jan. 29 meeting. Originally, trustees were looking to make at least $9 million in reductions starting next school year, but after an initial review of recommendations earlier this month, the updated list of proposed cuts totals $7.92 million in savings.
District officials have removed the proposals to eliminate the preschool program; make changes to either science, technology, engineering, arts and math or PE instruction; and terminate the free afterschool offering, known as the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. These recommendations drew the most pushback from the school board and community members at a Jan. 15 meeting.
Administrators also added a recommendation to freeze salaries for district office leadership, which trustee Ana Reed suggested at the Jan. 15 meeting. The idea drew support from other board members. The updated proposal also includes an estimated $660,000 in additional funding for the Extended Learning Opportunities Program, based on a budget proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Two weeks ago, while discussing the original list of potential cuts, Reed asked whether it would be possible to make just a portion of the budget reductions now and wait until next school year to make the rest. The revised list of reductions, which were released as part of the agenda for the board’s Jan. 29 meeting, shows that if the board decides to make $7.92 million in reductions this year and an additional $2 million in cuts next year, the long-term effects on the budget would be almost the same as if they made $9.5 million reductions in one fell swoop.
The proposed cost savings now include:
- Laying off district office staff and administrators: $3.79 million
- Reducing or reassigning student support staff: $1.42 million
- Switching from nightly custodial services to every-other night services: $939,000
- Increase in state funding for Extended Learning Opportunities Program: $660,000
- Freezing salary increases for district leadership: $507,000
- Reducing technology in younger grades: $319,000
- Removing the equivalent of one full-time assistant principal: $295,000
Previously, at the Jan. 15 meeting, board members seemed generally agreeable to options like switching custodial services to be every other night and cutting back on technology for younger students.
Board member Lisa Henry said that the reductions that would be easiest for her to approve are the ones that could more easily be reversed if things change in the future.
After the meeting earlier this month, administrators sent out a survey to families and staff to gauge reactions to the suggested reductions. The most acceptable cuts for survey respondents were technology reductions and district office layoffs, according to the Jan. 29 presentation. Survey comments highlighted a desire for the district to protect classroom instruction and prioritize student outcomes when making decisions.
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