KELSEYVILLE — A $2.3 million budget shortfall in the Kelseyville Unified School District resulted in a four-hour special meeting of the district”s board of trustees Tuesday night.
More than 60 people attended the meeting, which was held to decide what programs could be reduced or cut to balance the district”s budget by Tuesday in order to meet a mandatory guideline set by the state.
A seven-page handout showed the district”s fiscal recovery plan, which had items that were negotiable with the unions of both teachers and classified school employees.
There were several non-negotiable items. Items that involved hours worked were negotiable.
A total of 44 items were discussed, including possible layoffs of some custodians, secretaries, maintenance workers, library clerks and campus monitors. Programs that faced possible reductions or cuts included funding for all district athletics, the yearbook and K-CORPS elective classes as well as the adult education program.
Input from the public was heard by the board members on several items. Nearly all who spoke asked that the board consider what is best for the youth of the district, and much applause was given to those who spoke.
At the end of the night, the board was $6,600 short of making the required $2.3 million in reductions. The board chose to put everything in writing and take a second look at it Wednesday night at 8 p.m. before voting to accept and approve the recovery plan.
Look for a follow-up article on the meeting in Friday”s edition of the Record-Bee.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly at 263-5636 ext. 14.
