Group assesses financial, possible organizational future of Point Loma schools

Beach-area San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) board representative Scott Barnett paid a visit to the Point Loma Cluster Association (PLCA) on Aug. 30 to answer questions and share ideas about how area schools can move forward in the face of budget woes in the district. He brought up his hopes to help the cluster draw up a “Roadmap for Success,” specifying certain goals and achievement targets, determining appropriate routes to achieve those objectives and devising some method of measuring successes. “I would be thrilled if this community decides that you would like to develop this ‘Roadmap for Success’ — certain goals and how you all get there — and we put it in writing,” he said at the PLCA meeting. Although Barnett discussed pathways to achieve a brighter future for local schools, he also fielded some general inquiries about the state of finances in the district, which he said continues to look ominous. “We have more teachers in the classroom — thank goodness for all our kids — but we haven’t solved the problem. In fact, it’s worse. That’s what I’m trying to say, but people don’t want to hear it because it’s unpleasant,” he said. Some cluster members aired concern about the unraveling of key members on their school staff because of the repeated issuance and withdrawal of pink slips given to skilled teachers year after year. Graduation rates, API scores and student achievement are only attainable with a solid group of teachers, said one PLCA representative, urging Barnett and others to address the issue of pink slips and maintaining teachers’ trust as a priority for Point Loma schools. “I know its been terribly disruptive for individual lives, for employees, teachers and principals, and right now the only way we can mitigate that is to reduce costs, do things more efficiently or bring in new revenues,” said Barnett. Despite schools running leaner each year because of lower enrollment and staffing district-wide, the school district is in a worse crisis now than in years before because of rising costs of health insurance, higher expenditures for step and column payments, and the fact that SDUSD has nearly tapped out its reserves, said Barnett. “The budget that we’re in right now, a large piece of it is balanced with one-time revenues to pay ongoing expenses. We have eliminated pretty much all of our reserves,” he said. “Our financial situation is actually worse, even though some costs and our district payroll is lower.” Barnett plans to introduce a new healthcare proposal to his clusters as one solution to lower SDUSD’s projected shortfall. “Our No. 1 largest expenditure outside of payroll is our health and benefits,” Barnett said. “We spend $170 million or so on healthcare. Every employee, including board members, has the right to choose Kaiser or three other programs. We pay no premium, so I, as a parent with two kids, pick the most expensive one and have my two kids on that, and it costs me zero. If I pick Kaiser, it still costs me zero. What I’m proposing is that every employee be given Kaiser free, and if I want the one I’m buying now for me and my kids, I have to pay for it.” He said a revision of the current health-insurance model can save the district $12 million each year, and everyone would still have the option to get free healthcare. “The goal is to generate the money to fill this year’s budget, as well as the next year and the next year, and have that portfolio grow. I’m trying to develop plans to deal with the long-term budget problem, not just next year’s, because the problems aren’t going away,” he said. Cluster representatives offered suggestions for fundraising, like company sponsorships or naming rights at school facilities to help raise funds for individual schools or clusters. “That will help a little to mitigate some of the things at some sites, and we need to do that as well,” Barnett said. “My goal primarily as a school board member is generating as much money as I can for this district that we can use to maintain our school programs.” The PLCA will introduce a new 40-member board next month, with parents and staff electing one teacher and two parents from each of the 10 cluster schools to join the respective principals on the board. Barnett will return at the cluster’s next board meeting on Oct. 1 at 4:30 p.m. to give a general update, as well as discuss the SDUSD’s $2.8 billion bond measure, Prop Z. For more information about PLCA, visit www.pointlomacluster.com or sign up for the cluster’s email list.