Five million dollars. That’s the budget gap that the Piedmont School District must fill for academic years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. The seriousness of that shortfall was thrown into sharp relief by public comments at a school board meeting Wednesday, when the district took a small procedural step toward beginning contract negotiations with the Association of Piedmont Teachers.
At the meeting, the district “sunshined” nine articles of its collective bargaining agreement that both sides agreed to open up to negotiations. Following a hearing Oct. 13, the board will approve the “openers” and then formal negotiations begin.
Of course, salaries and benefits will be up for negotiation. “We are going to have to look at salaries,” said Superintendent Connie Hubbard. “If 90 percent of your budget is in salaries and people, that is an area we have to discuss … in this difficult budget climate that we are in.”
But Amal Smith, treasurer of Piedmont Educational Foundation, suggested during a public comment period that teachers will not be the only ones to feel the pain. “The rug has been pulled out from us,” she said. “The pain … is going to have to be shared pain.”
“Programs are going to have to be changed,” she added. And that, of course, means students will feel some of the pain. “We’re all in it together,” Smith said.
Smith noted that she works for the University of California, and has lived through furloughs, no pay raises for years, and increasing health care costs. “My point is this is the way the public sector is going,” she said.
Eileen Ruby, who chaired the Piedmont Educational Foundation’s campaign to build its endowment, detailed the history of fundraising for Piedmont schools. She pointed out that today more than one third of the district’s budget comes from fundraising and the parcel tax. (The parcel tax accounts for nearly 33 percent of revenue in the 2010-2011 budget, while contributions from parents and the Piedmont Educational Foundation make up nearly 7 percent of revenue in the $28.7 million budget.)
But after recounting the recent history of school fundraising in Piedmont, Ruby – a member of the citizens’ advisory committee to the parcel tax program – reached this conclusion: “There is nobody who thinks we can fundraise our way out of this budget crisis. The gap is too big.”
The district introduced a range of options to close the gap during a special meeting Sept. 16, including maintaining furloughs, holding health costs at current levels, and rolling back salaries. For a detailed look at the district’s budget situation and the proposals, read the agenda packet from that meeting here.
Or read reports on that meeting from two other Piedmont websites:
School Budget Shortfall – Possible Remedies (Piedmont Civic Association)
School Board Calls for Public Input on Budget Options (Piedmont Neighborhood News)
How do you think the school district should close its budget gap? Share your views by writing a comment below.
As a new member of the community, I have been so impressed by the welcoming and generous people I have had the pleasure to meet and to get to know over the past few months. I felt compelled to write about the effect the state of school funding in California is having on the stellar school system you have created and sustained in Piedmont – and to encourage us to keep that quality even in this budget climate.
I believe we should have the same high expectations for our community that we have for our children – and that in this new climate more families will step up and pay a contribution of at least $2000 per student if they are able – to try and prevent further cuts. And for those who cannot at this time, I believe they would also participate – maybe $20 a month or Safeway SCRIP — it all makes a big difference.
For starters, large class sizes and limited aide time put stress on teachers and limit opportunities for students for differentiated learning and building critical thinking and reasoning skills. Of course each school will decide how to budget their resources to best support their student body and their mission.
If we do not step forward, and ask each person to make a personally significant ongoing commitment to our school system, we risk losing one of the elements that makes Piedmont a great place to live – not to mention a decline in property values over the long term.
A good private school costs upwards of $20,000 per student per year in tuition ($29,000 for high school), not to mention an additional annual fundraising expectation of anywhere from 20% to 200% of that amount and more. We can get that private education quality here at a fraction of the cost if everyone gives a meaningful gift, whatever that means to the individual.
I feel fortunate to be part of this generous community. Please continue your support, or if you are new to the community or the campaign, please consider a generous gift. Whether you are a family with children currently in Piedmont schools, or you will be in a few years, or if your children have long left the nest, we should all participate because we all benefit.
These are difficult times, but $200 a month, for each child, would keep our schools great, our teachers effective and sane, and prepare our children for success in this century.
I hope you will contribute to the Giving Campaign and support our schools. If we all engage, we will create an even stronger community. Thank you for creating and sustaining such a wonderful place to live.