California Schools Chief Thinks Schools will Avoid Huge Cuts

It was the first year Capistrano Unified Passed its Budget Without (new) Cuts ...

From California Watch:

Former State Superintendent for Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said yesterday that this year's budget, coupled with strong job growth, has convinced him that schools won't be forced into crippling service cuts.

Speaking to about 60 area school officials at the Sacramento County Office of Education, O'Connell dished a gumbo of advice about the new budget and its potential impact on schools. O'Connell was recently hired to become education chief at School Innovations & Advocacy, an education consulting and lobbying firm based in Rancho Cordova.

He was joined by School Innovations & Advocacy advocate Barrett Snider and Kevin Gordon, the group's president, who each took turns explaining some of the complexities of the new budget that are troubling schools. Central to their discussion was helping to calm concerns over vague areas of the budget.

Although lawmakers gave districts the same amount of funds as last year, the new budget contains the possibility of midyear cuts if the state doesn't meet its revenue projections. Under the worst circumstances, districts could be forced to grapple with a $248 million cut in school busing funds and shave up to seven days off the school calendar.

O'Connell, who served two terms as state superintendent of public instruction and 20 years as both a state senator and Assembly member, doesn't think that scenario is realistic. He said he believes the state economy has turned the corner.

See the full story here.

Comments

[RegisterReader]

Clearly O'Connell isn't aware of the Armageddon that public employee unions and illegal aliens are going to bring to our schools this coming year.

[Nothing but the Truth]

Good timing, Register Reader. After the last 100 comments or so, this blog is in desperate need of a little levity.

[Aegis]

I don't know but I been told...

that the two new high school principals from Anaheim Union were given 20 years experience on the high school principal salary schedule. Has anyone checked their contracts?

[Rhetorick]

Well, I guess my first question is do they have 20 year's experience in the field? My second question, who told you? Was it the new principals? Was it Farley? Was it someone in personnel? Was it someone from RSM?

[jollygirl]

The attached video clip says it so well. Parents, it is time you stand up for your children and their teachers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Jh3Z52KV0&feature=share

[enuff]

what jollygirl said.

Waiver your children out of those tests.
They serve no purpose and they don't benefit ours kids.

[Reality Check]

As Matt Damon and jollygirl seem to understand, those tests don't benefit kids or teachers. Teachers and kids already know how kids are doing and can predict their scores. It's the public (taxpayers and parents) that wants some sort of proof and "waivering" kids out would harm the district's performance and its finances. That a lose/lose situation - especially if you own a local home.

Better to change the system legally than to resort to civil disobedience, enuff. Please contact your legislators and ask that NCLB be revised.

[jollygirl]

Good point Reality Check. But the effort to revise NCLB will not be successful without the support of parents. They need to understand the seriousness of this and speak up. Their children's education is at stake. Teachers know about the mischief resulting from the testing debacle. I recall Austin Buffum remarking on that when this all started about a decade ago at a district meeting.

[RegisterReader]

Parents should "waiver" their kids out of school and home school them all together to keep them away from the mind robbing public employee unions.

[Jollygirl]

Yes...I have vivid memories of union thugs lurking outside my classroom urging me to abandon my teaching skills, instincts and ethics so that I could get a 2% raise...ah, those were the days. So unlike these days when pay cuts are the norm.