LOWER LAKE– Long-term declining enrollment and unknown reductions from the state is forcing the Konocti Unified School District to consolidate some administrators” jobs.
At its Wednesday, March 5, meeting, the KUSD Board of Trustees conducted a first reading of a plan that addresses long-term declining enrollment by eliminating some administrative positions and consolidating their responsibilities into a single title.
“Part of what makes it hard now is that as we lost our last 400 students, we were not reining ourselves in,” said trustee Carolynn Jarrett.
According to a staff memorandum, Konocti”s enrollment is projected to have declined in one year from 3,071 to 2,984. In order to give notice within timelines required by California law, the district issued precautionary notices to the holders of administrative positions that were identified for reduction in the event that district enrollment dropped below 3,000 students.
The plan before the board on Wednesday would eliminate the positions of assistant superintendent and curriculum coordinator, whose responsibilities would be consolidated into “assistant superintendent of education services.”
Director of maintenance and operations and director of transportation would similarly be consolidated into a single position. The district would also consolidate child health and nutrition functions.
Consolidations will result in savings of $195,100 according to Superintendent Dr. Louise Nan.
“The board passed a resolution stating that the district could not function but the state budget being what it is, I have to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” said Nan in response to a board member”s question whether the district will be able to function if it eliminates these administrative functions.
A resolution by the board states that the governor”s budget reductions would reduce Proposition 98 funding by $4.4 billion and would result in tens of thousands of educator layoffs statewide. The resolution notes that California already spends $1,900 less per student than the national average and that it seriously underfunds its schools.
KUSD would lose approximately $750,000 in 2008-2009. And as Emily M. Goldhahn CPA noted in an district financial audit, employee salaries and benefits account for 78.14 percent of Konocti”s general fund expenditures.
“As we saw on the chart, 80 percent of our budget is people,” said board President Herb Gura.
Trustee Hank Montgomery noted that “Our need is increasing while our enrollment is decreasing but unfortunately state money doesn”t come to us that way.”
The state budget has not been finalized so funding reductions are unknown. The plan includes flexibility for rolling it forward or backward when actual reductions are known.
The declining enrollment plan can be read in its entirety at http://konocti.csbaagendaonline.net. Select “Meetings” in the top menu to bring up the March 5 regular meeting.
Contact Cynthia Parkhill at cparkhill@clearlakeobserver.com.
