Politics & Government

School District Worries About State Budget

PVUSD will look at budget options next month and also consider a facilities improvement bond.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District stands to lose approximately $7.4 million if state tax measures aren't approved by voters later this year.

That's the message school district staff brought to the board of trustees at Wednesday evening's meeting.

“The governor’s strategy is extremely risky to public education,” said Helen Bollonzi, director of finance for the school district.

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Gov. Jerry Brown is appealing to voters to approve a half-cent sales tax and an income tax on wealthy wage-earners to fill a $4.8 billion hole in the state budget for education.

If it initially doesn’t pass, the impacts will take years to recover from, Bollonzi said.

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Complicating matters are the requirements put forth by state and national testing requirements.

“They’re wanting our students to learn more and our teachers to do more and we’re not getting any additional money for it," Bollonzi said.

Bollonzi recommended the school district avoid new spending for the time being but not take more drastic measures. New budget options will be presented to the board in February.

The school board also agreed to hold a special study session 6-8 p.m. Feb. 1 to consider putting a facilities bond measure on the ballot this year. The bond would fund repairs and enhancements for the district's aging schools, such as adding sports facilities at .

During Wednesday's meeting, a group of parents, staff and coaches from PV High asked board members to move forward with the bond initiative so their school could have athletic fields and a gymnasium.


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