Schools

School District Will Consider $3.5M in Cuts

Reductions would affect Adult Education and increase K-3 class sizes.

People pleaded with school district leaders not to cut adult programs and to keep support staff during a special Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday night.

On the table were more than $3.5 million in proposed cuts, including a $1 million reduction to . The board approved a list of the cuts that will allow the school district to give the required notice to employees who may be let go.

“We decided it’s fair for all employees to let them know as soon as possible," Brett McFadden, the district's chief business officer, told the board.

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The round of potential cuts are just the latest in a long series of budget reductions—nearly $15 million since 2008—that have left the district with few areas to lower costs, McFadden said.

The meeting drew a beyond-capacity crowd—many holding "Save Adult Education" signs—and at one point the fire department arrived to monitor the population inside board room.

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“The proposed cuts to our budget are totally going to cripple our program,” Debbie Craig, who works in parent education at Adult Education, told the board.

More than a dozen others also spoke about the importance of Adult Education and other programs, such as parenting education at cooperative preschools, that are on the chopping block.

, who teaches adult art and English as a Second Language at Adult Education, said three-quarters of her students are young men from Mexico.

"They're coming to school so they can have a future," Carver said. "… Adult education is one of the only viable, accessible proactive options they have to escape the gang encroachments and entanglements that are very prevalent in our community."

In Spanish, student Felix Vega said the ESL program he's been enrolled in for the past month is needed, because so many Pajaro Valley residents want to learn English.

“This is an education that we need so we can support our children in education as well," Vega said.

Trustee Doug Keegan was concerned that the possible cuts—especially those to Adult Education—occurred too abruptly and proposed halving the reduction to $500,000.

“What bothers me is these reductions took us a much by surprise as the public," Keegan said. "… I have a lot of questions about other ways we could possibly save money.”

However, the board shot down Keegan's proposal. Instead, they approved the possible cuts with the caveat that the board will take a second look at how to save money without gutting the Adult Education budget.

The final reductions will not be determined until after a June 7 special election where the vote on an extension of a state tax measure will decide how deep the cuts will be.

McFadden described the differences between the tax measure succeeding or not as "horrible or catastrophic."

The layoff notifications must go out by March 15. The board will approve a plan at next week's meeting.

“There will be no cut that will not affect the classroom," McFadden said. "It is impossible … we are down to the bone at this point.”


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