[BHS etree] BUSD: Message from Superintendent Huyett regarding BUSD budget, potenital layoffs

[bhs at idiom.com]

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY to the etree, contact Mark Coplan
[mailto:Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us]

The following is a message from Superintendent Bill Huyett regarding
the BUSD budget and potenital layoffs

March 12, 2008

To the Berkeley School Community,

As your new superintendent I have enjoyed meeting many of you as I
have gone to schools and attended events in my first month on the job.
Unfortunately, I come to the District in the middle of a state budget
crisis caused by insufficient revenue.

In January Governor Schwarzenegger proposed to cut public education by
$4.8 billion. Although no budget has been passed, school districts are
required to submit a balanced budget by June 30th based on the
Governor's current proposal.  In Berkeley USD this means a need to
reduce our budget by $3.7 million from our planned 2008-09 budget.  

This week, you may hear the news that the district is giving notice to
some certificated staff - teachers, administrators, and counselors -
that we may not continue to employ them in 2008-09. Because 85-95% of
California school district budget expenditures are personnel related,
layoffs are almost inevitable for districts in the coming year.  BUSD
finds itself in this position. By law, we must give notice of
potential certificated layoffs before March 15th.  Our Board will take
action to approve these possible layoffs at its March 12th meeting.
Giving such notice is disruptive to teacher's lives and to the
students we serve, but is necessary, this year. I wish there was a
more rational way to go about this process, but we have no other
choice.

There will be notices to non-certificated (classified) employees as
well.

These employees are governed by different laws, and any such notices
will not be sent until late April or May.

I want to assure you that myself as Superintendent, the School Board,
and my staff are all committed to maintaining the class size ratios
passed as a part of Measure A. These are district-wide averages of 20
students to 1 teacher in grades K-3, 26:1 in grades 4-5, and 28:1 in
grades 7-12. Our thanks to Berkeley taxpayers for providing us with
the funds to allow us to maintain these levels at a time where many
other districts are raising class sizes.

I have asked my staff to make a preliminary list of budget reductions,
which form the basis of the certificated layoff notices. This list
will be reviewed by a new committee I am forming called the
Superintendent's Budget Advisory Committee.  This committee, comprised
of half employees and half community members, will review the
proposals and will make their own recommendations to me. I then will
try to put the best ideas from each group forward when I submit my
recommendation to the Board in May.  The Board will make all final
decisions and must pass a balanced budget by the end of June.

As in any school layoff process we will notice more people than we
will actually release from their jobs next year. As we find out more
about employees who will be retiring, going on leave, or not returning
next year the number of needed layoffs may decrease. Additionally, as
we make decisions about which positions and programs will funded, some
of the names can be removed from the list.

Each school's School Governance Committee (SGC) is responsible for
deciding the budget at each school. The decisions they make will not
be easy, as the Governor has cut categorical funds (often the ones
that go to
schools) even more than the revenues that fund classroom teachers. SGC
meetings are open to all and thoughtful input is always welcome.

It is tremendously disheartening to be writing a letter concerning
potential layoffs as one of my first communications to the school
community. I am, however, hopeful that changes will be made in the
state budget before it is passed. 

Recently twenty of us made our first trip to the capital to talk with
members of the Education Coalition and legislators. More pressure will
be exerted on the legislature before we are through. Each of us can
make our voice heard and campaign against these unprecedented cuts.
PTAs and other organizations will be organizing letter-writing
campaign and other actions-I urge you to participate in these
activities. 

As we go through our decision-making process to align our budget with
the governor's proposal, we will keep you informed with letters like
this. I hope that we can preserve as many of the dedicated
professionals and great programs found in Berkeley schools as we make
difficult decisions about the budget. 

We have a long road to travel together to get through this budget
crisis brought on by the state's fiscal shortfall.  Please feel free
to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
William Huyett
Superintendent of Schools
Berkeley Unified School District

==========================================
Forwarded by:
Mark A. Coplan
Public Information Officer, BUSD
510-644-6320
Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us
Berkeley Unified School District
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, Ca 94704-1180