The La Jolla Cluster has not yet formed into an official nonprofit entity, but it’s already throwing some weight around. Parents, teachers and administrators are working to form a coalition between the five schools in La Jolla, called the La Jolla Cluster, to create a unified front. In the midst of organizing itself, the cluster is tackling the 2.5 percent budget cut that hit La Jolla’s schools in February, which amounted to a reduction of about $138,000 across the five schools. The school district is trying to reinstate as much as 50 percent of that money back to schools — but with no guarantees. “Funds were swept from the schools without much in the way of input from the schools. That’s never a good policy,” said Phillip Strover, interim chief special projects officer for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). The money taken from the San Diego schools has been set aside until the district decides whether some of it can be returned to the schools or whether it will be needed to reduce the budget deficit at the end of the year, according to Strover. Strover had met with the La Jolla Cluster on April 6 to discuss the group’s concerns, which he called “valid.” “We’re trying to address their needs and preserve our needs for a balanced budget,” Strover said. “I think we can get there.” Meanwhile, the district has reinstated more than 50 percent of the five percent budget cut to the central office, which also occurred in February, according to Strover. The administration is also trying to streamline communication between the central office and schools by approaching the schools as a cluster instead of as individual schools. Currently, there are district superintendents responsible for elementary and secondary schools who report to a chief superintendent, who reports to the deputy superintendent who reports to the superintendent. The plan is to replace the grade-focused superintendents with a superintendent for a geographical area — like La Jolla — who will report to the deputy, who then reports to the superintendent. “The district is trying to speak with one voice,” Strover said. “The cluster group in La Jolla needs to speak with one voice so that a single point of contact can reach out to a single point of contact.” Meanwhile, the La Jolla Cluster has formed six committees to focus on issues of finance, curriculum, safety, technology, communications, as well as to establish a legal group to put together the bylaws and form a 501c3. For more information, visit www.lajollacluster.com.