Budget Cuts
CUSD spokeswoman admits district was in financial crisis BEFORE state cutbacks
Jan 23, 2008 Filed in: De Nicola,
Beverly
Beverly de Nicola, Los Angeles
Times "The district made $13
million in cuts this year, and $7.5 million of
next year's cuts were planned before the governor
announced billions of dollars in cuts to public
schools earlier this month."
Due to years of mismanagement and deficit spending by the Fleming regime, CUSD already faced a financial crisis before the recent state cutbacks were announced. This is the inconvenient truth the senior trustees and staff will attempt to cover up by pointing their dishonest fingers at the state. The Fleming trustees and staff are responsible for the draconian cuts already planned due to the pre-existing financial disaster they created. Now, due to years incompetence, they have assured that the impact of the state cutbacks will be even worse for CUSD than many other, more responsible districts. De Nicola is spokeswoman for CUSD.
Due to years of mismanagement and deficit spending by the Fleming regime, CUSD already faced a financial crisis before the recent state cutbacks were announced. This is the inconvenient truth the senior trustees and staff will attempt to cover up by pointing their dishonest fingers at the state. The Fleming trustees and staff are responsible for the draconian cuts already planned due to the pre-existing financial disaster they created. Now, due to years incompetence, they have assured that the impact of the state cutbacks will be even worse for CUSD than many other, more responsible districts. De Nicola is spokeswoman for CUSD.
CUSD spokeswoman prepares district for staff cuts
May 09, 2007 Filed in: De Nicola,
Beverly
Beverly De Nicola, The Orange County
Register "The next step will be
to fine-tune it and figure out how much this will
affect people. Because when you cut $13 million,
you cut people."
De Nicola is the spokeswoman for the Capistrano Unified School District.
De Nicola is the spokeswoman for the Capistrano Unified School District.
Smith's plans for cuts and increased revenues
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Eliminating some bus
routes with few riders and consolidating some bus
stops, for a savings of about $1 million; Raising
facilities use fees and selling obsolete school
buses, part of a plan to raise about $400,000;
Cutting staff positions to save about $4.2
million, including $2.1 million in teacher
salaries."
Officials don't know whether the cuts will come from laying off people or not filling positions of employees who leave. Teachers under contract can't be laid off, as pink slips would have had to have gone out before March 15. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Officials don't know whether the cuts will come from laying off people or not filling positions of employees who leave. Teachers under contract can't be laid off, as pink slips would have had to have gone out before March 15. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Smith's four guiding principles in budget planning
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Smith,
Dennis
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Smith last week said
he had four guiding principles in budget planning:
ending deficit spending; carrying a larger
reserve; planning with multiyear projections; and
budgeting teacher raises in advance."
Of course the fifth guiding principle - budget cuts - is not even on the list as Denny ignores the elephant in the room. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Of course the fifth guiding principle - budget cuts - is not even on the list as Denny ignores the elephant in the room. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
District confirms years of deficit spending, confirms reform advocates claims of Fleming Trustees' fiscal irresponsibility
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "The district has
spent more than it has taken in for five of the
past six years, resulting in a $4.1 million
deficit in this school year and a $6 million
shortfall in 2005-06. Its reserves are a little
higher than the legally mandated 2 percent."
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Smith presents plan to end years of irresponsible spending habits of Fleming Trustees
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Smith,
Dennis
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Superintendent Dennis
Smith on Monday presented a general plan of cuts,
transfers and new revenues that he said will get
the district out of the habit of spending down
reserves and failing to plan for teachers raises.
The adjustments, which were not voted on by
trustees Monday, will be in the budget the board
considers in June."
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Smith's four guiding principles for the budget, addresses automatic allocation for teachers' raises
May 06, 2007 Filed in: Smith,
Dennis
What about budget cuts, Denny? Smith is the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.
Trustees to consider millions in budget cuts, leasing out district office space to raise $400,000 per year
May 05, 2007 Filed in: Volzke,
Jonathan
Volzke is the publisher of the Capistrano Dispatch.
Teacher raises will strain district with $4 million more in cuts beyond $9 million shortfall already identified
May 03, 2007 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register “Union officials
figure the raises mean 8.19 percent more total pay
over two years. The raises could mean more cuts
for CUSD, which had already faced a $9 million
shortfall after years of deficit spending. A
package of proposed cuts will be announced next
week by new Superintendent Dennis Smith.”
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Land sale delay could affect teacher salaries and retirement fund
Apr 10, 2007 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Part
of the district's offer to teachers includes a 0.75
percent pay raise once the land sale goes through;
waiting on the sale would mean a delay for when
teachers would see that raise, if agreed to. And
CUSD's 2007-08 budget projections, to which trustees
are still looking to make cuts, depends on the land
sale to erase a $2 million-per-year annual debt the
district owes to a public retirement fund."
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
McCully blames $9 million shortfall on bad decisions
Feb 23, 2007 Filed in: Volzke,
Jonathan
McCully says district could save with in-house lawyer
Feb 23, 2007 Filed in: Volzke,
Jonathan
Trustees cut 22 positions, but more cuts needed
Feb 23, 2007 Filed in: Volzke,
Jonathan
Volzke is the publisher of the Capistrano Dispatch.
Even with cuts, not enough to pay teacher salary increases
Mar 29, 2007 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, Laguna Niguel
News “Even
with the expected cuts, CUSD would have little
left over to pay salary increases – about $3.7
million, or about 1.5 percent more for all
employees. Raises typically are nearer to the
state-allocated Cost of Living Adjustment, which
CUSD expects to be more than 4
percent.”
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for the Orange County Register.
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for the Orange County Register.
District says deficit spending and flattening enrollment caused budget crisis
Mar 29, 2007 Filed in: Hall, Eric
Eric Hall, Laguna Niguel
News “Capistrano
is facing significant budget challenges because of
two converging forces: three of four years of
deficit spending, and flattening enrollment ... It
has caused us to pause and take a look at making
budget reductions.”
Hall is CUSD's interim deputy superintendent of business and support services.
Hall is CUSD's interim deputy superintendent of business and support services.
No part of budget should be exempt from cuts
Mar 29, 2007 Filed in: Bryson,
Anna
Bryson is one of the ABC Reform Trustees.
Parent expresses concern about impact elimination of guidance counselor will have on children
Feb 18, 2007 Filed in: Furniss,
Donna
Donna Furniss, The Orange County
Register "We're forgetting
about the middle-of-the-road child. My child is
one of them. The only place I got help was Debbie
[Morgan]. He has a 2.7 GPA, but he's bringing it
up. Why is he bringing it up? He had someone who
cared."
Furniss is a CUSD parent.
Furniss is a CUSD parent.
PTA leader presumes to know what's best for Morgan and ignores impact on children
Feb 18, 2007 Filed in: Timm,
Jennifer
Spoken like a true PTA political operative -- excuse the district's financial faux pas and downplay the real, unfulfilled needs of the kids, which will be made all the worse with the termination of the district's top guidance counselor. Thanks, Jennifer. Bet you won't lose any sleep over this one. See you at the next PTA-sponsored parent fundraiser.
CUSD eliminates top guidance counselor as budget-cutting measure
Feb 18, 2007 Filed in: Morgan,
Debbie
A week after the district eliminated her job as top guidance counselor in CUSD as a budget-cutting measure, Morgan expressed her hopes for the district's guidance center.
McCully identifies Trustees' budgeting failures and challenges
Nov 24, 2006 Filed in: McCully,
Charles
Interim Superintendent McCully announces major cuts this year and next, ending a brief period of optimism that had depended largely on spending down reserves. Though the district will receive 8.5 percent more revenue from the state, McCully suggested mid-year cuts of about $9.4 million at the Dec. 11 board meeting, and said the district will work on eliminating at least $9 million in additional ongoing costs beginning next year.
Trustees avoided cuts and paid raises during recall by depleting reserves
Nov 24, 2006 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, Saddleback Valley
News “It is a turnaround
from last year, when the district gave teachers a
raise, reinstated spending such as the popular
class-size reduction program and avoided cuts that
officials had warned were pending. The district
avoided those cuts last year by spending reserve
funds down to the legal minimum of 2 percent. No
such cushion exists this year. Those reserves are
gone, while services, programs and employees must
still be funded.”
Soderberg critical of Trustees' budget decisions that repeat same mistakes
Nov 24, 2006 Filed in: Soderberg,
Vicki
Vicki Soderberg, The Orange County
Register “If you budgeted in
salary increases for employees, you wouldn’t have
to cut anything ... You’re taking this new money
and putting it in other places, and you’re telling
me you have to cut? It seems like a continued
pattern.”
Soderberg is president of the Capistrano Unified Education Association, a teachers union.
Soderberg is president of the Capistrano Unified Education Association, a teachers union.