<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;margin-bottom: 6pt; "><span style="text-indent:0.5in;line-height:17px"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 13px; ">Do not reply to this email, contact Mark Coplan at 510-644-6320 or 510-472-3811 (cell)</span></span></font></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;margin-bottom: 6pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; ">Dear Berkeley Schools Community Members,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">For yet another year I am writing to you
about significant cuts to Berkeley Unified and all California public
schools. The Governor’s proposed
reductions for the next school year, coupled with the loss of $1.7 million in
federal stimulus funds and our increasing costs, leave us with a structural
deficit of $3.0 million. This figure may increase depending on factors like
enrollment and certain reimbursements, which are yet to be finalized.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">The district is holding a budget forum, Thursday, March 29 at 5:30pm
in the Council Chambers at the school district headquarters, 2134 Martin Luther
King Jr. Way. Deputy Superintendent Javetta Cleveland and I will be presenting and
answering questions. The forum will be broadcast live on cable 33 and posted
with a link from our website for viewing after the event.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">In February I asked staff to make a
preliminary list of budget reductions. This list is currently being reviewed by
the Superintendent's Budget Advisory Committee, which is deliberating on its
own set of recommendations. The committee is comprised of an equal number of
employees (including all four unions) and community members. I will review all the suggestions before making my own
recommendation to the School Board. The School Board will make all final
decisions and must pass a balanced budget by the end of June. The staff proposed
the following reductions to cover the projected $3 million deficit:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">·<span style="line-height: normal; "> </span>Set fees for Adult School classes so they are self-sustaining:
$315,000</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">·<span style="line-height: normal; "> </span>Eliminate extra staff above the BSEP Measure requirements in
middle and high school; the district would meet the BSEP mandated class size
averages of 28 for secondary classrooms, without going appreciably below 28 as
happened in past years: $542,000 </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">·<span style="line-height: normal; "> </span>Fund part of the cost of academic intervention teachers at middle
schools in BSEP (while maintaining programs currently funded): $475,000 </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">·<span style="line-height: normal; "> </span>Reduce Worker’s Comp payments, reduce Summer School, reduce discretionary
funding in the high school and overtime budgets, and sweep $300,000 additional state
funding previously allocated for Adult School: total $918,000</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">·<span style="line-height: normal; "> </span>Draw on reserves for approximately $750,000 — more if reductions
grow beyond the projected $3 million.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">The Governor and other groups are
seeking signatures for an initiative on the November 2012 ballot. The proposal
funds education and other state programs, through income tax and sales tax
increases. If that initiative fails, there would be severe cuts to education
after the election, about $4 million for Berkeley Unified. For budget
planning purposes, staff is assuming that if the initiative fails, reserve
funds would cover the 2012-13 school year mid-year cuts, and significant
reductions would be felt in the 2013-14 school year budget.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:2.0pt;text-indent:.25in;line-height:13.5pt">Each of the five years I have been
Berkeley’s Superintendent, the state has required budget reductions. These
reductions are demoralizing for our hard-working teachers and staff, especially
those who are receiving notices of possible layoff. Teachers and other staff
feel the effect of increasing health care premiums as the district has not been
able to increase health care contributions for several years. The community’s
support of teachers, staff, and administrators is vital, so I want to continue
to keep you informed about these budget reductions. You can sign up for email
updates at the district website, <a href="http://www.berkeleyschools.net/" target="_blank">www.berkeley.net</a>
or attend the budget forum on March 29.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:2.0pt;line-height:13.5pt">Sincerely, </p><div style="margin-bottom: 2pt; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt">William
Huyett</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:2.0pt;line-height:13.5pt">Superintendent of Schools</p><div><br></div></div></div><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">________________</span></font></span></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; "><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Pat Anderson, Diane Douglas, Marguerite Fa-Kaji and Lisa Sibony are the parent-volunteer facilitators of the etree; please direct any questions to them at </span></font><a href="mailto:bhs-owner@lmi.net" title="mailto:bhs-owner@lmi.net" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">bhs-owner@lmi.net</span></font></span></font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">. </span></font></span></font><font color="black"><span style="color: black; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; "><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">BHS etree archives: </span></font><a href="http://lists.lmi.net/pipermail/bhs/" title="http://lists.lmi.net/pipermail/bhs/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">http://lists.lmi.net/pipermail/bhs/</span></font></span></font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">; BHS PTSA website: </span></font><a href="http://www.bhs.berkeleypta.org/" title="http://www.bhs.berkeleypta.org/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">http://www.bhs.berkeleypta.org/</span></font></span></font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">. To</span></font><span class="Apple-converted-space"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></font></span><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">unsubscribe from the etree, send an</span></font><span class="Apple-converted-space"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></font></span><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">email to </span></font><a href="mailto:bhs-request@lmi.net" title="mailto:bhs-request@lmi.net" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">bhs-request@lmi.net</span></font></span></font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> with one</span></font><span class="Apple-converted-space"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></font></span><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">word only in the subject line: 'unsubscribe'. To post a message, send</span></font><span class="Apple-converted-space"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></font></span><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">to: </span></font><a href="mailto:bhs@lmi.net" title="mailto:bhs@lmi.net" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">bhs@lmi.net</span></font></span></font></a></span></font><font color="black"><span style="color: black; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div></div></div></span></span></div></body></html>