District stands by embattled leader – More cuts possible as board scrutinizes budget (Burlingame Daily News)
Amid anger and protests from teachers, leaders of the San Mateo Union High School District say they are doing everything they can to right the ship without getting caught up in politics or assigning blame. That might include more cuts in the coming year. Responding to a "vote of no confidence" in Superintendent Sam Johnson and Associate Superintendent Ethel Konopka by the teachers' union, outgoing school board president Marcia Cohn-Lyle on Friday said, "We're ignoring it. We don't agree with it." The vote came partly in response to recent layoffs and an impasse in contract negotiations between the district and the teachers. Cohn-Lyle said Friday that Johnson has handled the budget crisis and the ensuing controversies "magnificently." "He has not pointed fingers at anyone, when he easily could have passed the buck," Cohn-Lyle said. "And his total performance is incredible." She added that the board and administration "plan to do whatever it takes to get the district back on track." That will likely include more cuts beyond the $3.5 million already slashed from the budget this fall, Associate Superintendent Elizabeth McManus said Friday. The budget cuts were spurred by unexpected shortfalls in property tax revenue that came after the district had negotiated raises for employees. "We're growing out of this and we'll continue to grow out of it," McManus said. "But it's extraordinarily painful."
The $3.5 million in immediate cuts were enough to satisfy the San Mateo County Office of Education that the district was responding appropriately to its loss of budget reserves, but that figure still left the district $600,000 shy of the state-mandated 3 percent minimum reserve. Not only will that $600,000 have to be made up next year, but the district has also announced a change in policy to maintain higher budget reserves than the 3 percent minimum. Johnson said at a board meeting Thursday that he would like to see the district build its reserves back above 5 percent, which will likely necessitate more belt-tightening. "I don't know where they're going to cut from," said Dwight Dunn, a member of the negotiating team for the union that represents support staff. He said he fears that more classified staff, such as administrative aides, might be on the chopping block at some point.
The district's recovery plan included a few cost-cutting measures that have not turned out as hoped, McManus said. For instance, projections of $350,000 in reimbursements from College of San Mateo for hosting college courses at high schools have been trimmed to $160,000. That adjustment, however, has been made up for by an increase in projected property tax, McManus said. "The budget is very dynamic," McManus said. "Anytime you have budget cuts in one area you might have increases in costs in another area."
– Written by Fiona
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