Por Esther Rubio-Sheffrey | Reportero SDUN

Despite relatively good news from Sacramento, the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education voted in favor of budget cuts that would eliminate jobs, campus security and special programs, as well as increase classroom size and consolidate schools.

Hours before the Board met on Dec. 13, Gov. Jerry Brown held a press conference to announce that cuts to K-12 education would not be as massive as previously predicted. In February 2012, K-12 school districts statewide will lose $79.6 million in funding – which equates to approximately $15 per student – instead of the previously projected $1.5 billion. The final budget is scheduled for release in January.

San Diego Superintendent Bill Kowba asked the Board to consider that Sacramento’s numbers are not solid, details are still pending and county officials must still weigh in.

Fearing bankruptcy, the Board moved forward as if the state were cutting the district’s funding by $250 per student, instead of the newly projected $15.

Kowba said, “To sit here and tinker with the budget tonight may be a challenge and create more churn than we want. We know full well that this is an executable plan that will be adjusted because it is a very fluid, fiscal development cycle,” he said, stressing the importance of demonstrating a commitment to functionality and fiduciary responsibility.

Each board member expressed specific concerns over certain aspects of the First Interim Budget Solutions for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.

Board member Shelia Jackson was particularly concerned over proposed cuts to custodial services and security, citing safety and health. She was also fearful that cuts to Special Education could bring about lawsuits the school district would inevitably lose, and made it a point to voice her discontent with ongoing utility increases from San Diego Gas & Electric, despite many of the district’s conservation efforts.

Board member Kevin Beiser echoed the security concerns, spoke against larger classroom sizes and vowed to continue to fight for the preservation of visual and performing arts programs, whose budget will be cut with the new reduction. Board member John Lee Evans and Board President Richard Barrera both emphasized the importance of avoiding insolvency, but reiterated Beiser’s stated desire for working together with unions and the community.

“We are going to take a stand and maintain local control, then turn around and fight like hell to get as much funding and revenue for our schools,” Evans said. “Tonight the Board acts alone, and we send a clear message to everyone that we will remain solvent, but tomorrow we act as a district and as a community,” Barrera added.

Furthermore, many students, faculty members and parents present at the meeting spoke against several of the cuts, particularly the consolidation of Crawford’s four small campuses into one. The Realignment/Closure Committee presented the consolidation to the Board at a Nov. 29 meeting.

Following the strongly worded sentiments, all but Board member Scott Barnett voted in favor of reducing the 2012-2013 budget by approximately $95 million. These cuts include a 56 percent reduction in instructional resources and materials; a 15 percent police department reduction; and a 50 percent reduction to visual and performing arts programs.

Class sizes will increase to 26 students in grades K-3 and 31 students in grades 4-6, to 30 students in middle school, and up to 32 students in high school. Cuts to non-mandated transportation, Special Education, and a reduction in nurses and counselors will save an additional $18.7 million.

In the 2013-2014 budget reductions, funding for the police department, visual and performing arts and non-mandated student transportation will be eliminated completely and will contribute to the projected $57 million in cuts. Classes will also increase to 30 students in grades K-3, up to 34 students in grades 4-6 and middle school, and 36 students in high school. Although not identified at the meeting, 12 schools are slated for closure.

The Board also approved the School Realignment/Closure Committee’s five recommendations. Barnard campus will close in order to enable the Mandarin Immersion Program growth into the Pacific Rim Language Academy. San Diego High Communications will consolidate with San Diego Science and Technology, as will Crawford’s four schools into one comprehensive high school. Negotiations for Crawford’s curriculum remain incomplete.

The Lincoln cluster of middle schools will lose all of its sixth graders to Knox and Millennial Tech Middle schools; and to ensure the long-term viability of Mission Bay High School, the development of a cluster-wide K-12 International Baccalaureate academy program will receive full support.

The Board did not reduce the number of vice principals and site-based non-classroom teachers in the 2012-2013 plan, although both still face reductions in 2013-2014. Many on the Board echoed Beiser’s hopes that, based on forthcoming information from Sacramento in January, the Board will be able to make adjustments as they plan for the Second Interim Budget Solution.