School board OKs deficit budget

District will be using more reserves|

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District board recently approved the budget for the fiscal year that started on July 1.

The board approved the $49.3 million budget at its June 21 meeting. While the district will be spending $49.3 million, its revenues will be just short of $46 million leaving a gap of about $3.4 million. The district has reserves of a little more than $2.8 million in the general fund but that was supposed to cover this year’s deficit as well as next year’s.

At the June 21 meeting, Superintendent Louann Carlomagno told the board that the district will be deficit spending this fiscal year. She said the district spent a lot of money on professional development when it rolled out its Common Core program.

“But we cannot continue to spend down our reserves,” she said at the time. “We’re going to have to tighten our belts.”

John Bartolome, the district’s chief business official, said the district will be using more of its reserves than it anticipated. “We will be taking the next year to evaluate some of the positions that we have added recently (in these good times) that have put us in the position we are in (financially),” he said. “A more concise plan will be presented in the first interim report.”

Bartolome said the County Office of Education wants the “more concise plan” as well.

Almost 86 percent of the district’s expenses – or about $44 million – are for salaries and benefits. Not only is the district granting a 1.5 percent step and column salary increase, it’s also granting a 2.75 percent salary increase for all employees.

Bartolome told the board at the earlier meeting that the step and column increase will cost the district $214,000 while the 2.75 percent across-the-board salary increase will cost another $577,000.

But Bartolome said the rates on the health and welfare plans as part of the salary package didn’t go up as much as the district anticipated – and that the workers comp rate went down.

“Both things are positives for the budget in 2016-17,” he added.

In addition, costs for the state retirement funds, both PERS, the teacher retirement fund, and STRS, the classified retirement plan, are going up this year – and for the next two years.

The district anticipated the PERS going up to 13.9 percent this coming fiscal year, 15.5 percent the next fiscal year and 17.1 the year after that while STRS was estimated at 12.6 percent this coming fiscal year and then up to 14.4 percent and 16.3 percent the next two years.

In other action, the board approved the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). The plan has eight priority areas that the district must address including basic services, Common Core State Standards implementation, parental involvement, student achievement, student engagement, school climate and course access.

The district also had to put a dollar figure on how much it would take to address each of the areas.

In addressing the LCAP, Carlomagno said, “During the 2016-17 school year, the district will engage in a strategic planning process. We will be seeking input from all stakeholders, as we pause to think more broadly about the future of the district.”

Carlomagno also briefed the board on the changes coming to the Senior Projects this year.

The district surveyed the seniors and their parents. While 85 percent of the 212 seniors responded, only 23 parents – or less than 10 percent – of the parents responded.

In addition, the district also surveyed the judge-volunteers and the high school staff.

As a result, the changes include:

• An early start for Senior Project activity hours.

• An early start for the Senior Project research paper.

• Senior Project website will transition to a Weebly.

• Google Classroom will be uses in 2016-17.

• There will be single-grade advisory classes.

• Pilot of digital posters in 2016-17, to be determined.

Email Bill at bill.hoban@sonomanews.com.

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