School closure looms next year School closure looms next year (June 25, 2004)

Drop in enrollment may force hand of MV-Whisman district officials

By Julie O'Shea

The Mountain View-Whisman School district will have to close one of its campuses a year from now in order to balance its 2005-2006 budget, according to an early report the school board reviewed last week.

The district threatened a school closure this year but scrapped the plans after city voters passed a $1.6-million parcel tax in March, adding enough funds to keep all nine Mountain View-Whisman campuses up and running.

But Rebecca Wright, the district's chief finance officer, gave the school board some bad news last Thursday: "You all spent a lot of time talking about closing a school (this year). I think it's time to talk about it again," she said. "I'm proposing that be considered in the 2005-2006 school year."

However, Wright admitted, "it's certainly not a done deal." Anything could happen between now and next year, she added. For instance, the economy could turn around.

As of right now, though, the district is seeing a downward spiral in its enrollment and Wright told school trustees it was hard to justify keeping a school open if "the district can accommodate our students with one less school."

A school closure committee met earlier this year to identify which factors should be considered if the district needs to close a school. It did not recommend that a particular school be the first to close.

The school district is required to turn in budgetary assumptions for the next three years to the Santa Clara County Office of Education by July 1. The school board approved Wright's assumptions on June 17 and is set to pass the proposed $31.6-million budget for 2004-2005 this week.

This is a $2.1-million increase from the previous fiscal year, thanks in part to the Measure J tax. Without money from the parcel tax, the district would have seen just a $582,793 increase to its budget. Last year, Mountain View-Whisman squeaked by with $29.4 million.

While things are not as tight as they were last year, Wright warns there is not much wiggle room, especially since more than 80 percent of the budget is dedicated to personnel costs. Currently, there is no money budgeted for cost of living salary increases for next year. School officials are currently in contract talks with the teachers' union.

A school closure could save the district $400,000 annually, officials estimated.

"Basically, that $400,000 is what is needed to balance the budget," Superintendent Jim Negri said.

This is a significant chunk of money given that health and welfare premiums are on the rise, as are special education costs, rising next year by 14 percent or about $1.4 million.

Wright said these costs continue to rise despite continued funding cuts at the state level. By law, the school district is required to find the money to adequately fund these programs and services.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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