KELSEYVILLE — The Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees began the process of reinstating recently-eliminated jobs during a special meeting Tuesday night.
In March, the board approved a Fiscal Recovery Plan that made more than $2 million in cuts to keep the district solvent. However, the school district recently learned it would receive some funds it wasn”t counting on, prompting the board to take action.
Superintendent Dave McQueen and his staff were able to secure funding for Riviera High School, a “necessary small high school” in Clear Lake Riviera. A necessary small high school is an alternative educational program.
Riviera High School began operating in September 2010. The district received a notice from the Lake County Office of Education in mid-May letting the district know the state Department of Education would not provide funding for the school for the 2011-12 school year.
McQueen worked with Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook and business manager Michelle Buell to reacquire the funding for the school from the state Department of Education. The district received a notice from the county at the end of July that the state funding would be continued through 2011-12. Approximately $800,000 was secured and split between last school year and 2011-12.
McQueen and staff proposed to the board to begin reinstating some of the positions lost in the recovery plan based on a ranking system the board developed when voting for the plan in March.
McQueen proposed using $382,000 to reinstate additional positions and programs cut in the recovery plan, allowing the board to bring back the highest-ranked priorities from the plan. Those high priorities included taking off the table the option of closing of Mountain Vista Middle School and restoring some cuts to adult education. The highest-ranked positions to be brought back included some custodial, secretarial and clerical positions.
The board debated about accepting the proposal as presented, which included a plan to revisit some lower-ranked priorities that were cut by the recovery plan as future revenues become available.
Board president Rick Winer said he didn”t want the district making promises to people who had lost their job that they would be getting it back in the future only to take it away if the district has to make cuts again.
Board member John DeChaine said the district couldn”t anticipate all eventualities and that it might have to reprioritize how the district spends its funds.
The board unanimously accepted to restore the $382,000 in cuts as presented, with items prioritized for future reference as funds become available.
The board will finalize the process of reinstating positions during its regular meeting next week.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
