District Budget Update

Every December, the school district is required to submit an interim budget report to the County Office of Education. In that report, the district must include the latest numbers for the current year and project out for two more years. In the current report, the third year, 2012-2013, has a projected deficit of $2.75 million. Significant cuts will need to be made to solve this problem. Since those cuts are not yet built into the budget, the district will have to submit the budget to the County with "qualified" status, and won't be receiving "positive" certification.

This deficit is based on current assumptions about the state budget. But as we speak, California is grappling with a deficit that has grown to nearly $28 billion. It is hard to imagine the legislature solving that budget problem without further cuts to education. One ominous sign is that the Proposition 98 guarantee will once again be reduced. In addition, each of the past two years, our budget crisis has been cushioned by federal stimulus money. With the change in Congressional leadership, no further federal stimulus money can be expected.

In last year's state budget deal, the legislature added $1.7 billion back to the proposed school budget. However, payment of was deferred until next fiscal year. Now, the safe bet is that schools will never see that money. Add to that the $2 billion reduction in the Proposition 98 guarantee, and it is possible that schools will face the loss of another $600 per student.

All of these cuts mean that California continues to shortchange our students. Basic support for K-14 education in California has fallen by $6.6 billion, or 13 percent, since 2007-08. And while every state-funded program needs to absorb cuts during this recession, the rest of the general fund budget, excluding education, has declined by only 0.7 percent. If the cuts described above occur, then cuts to education over the current 5 year period will reach 17 percent. Read more about how schools have taken the lion's share of the budget hit here.

RuskinFIT Wins Regional Award

Ruskin Elementary School has been participating in the Governor's Fitness Challenge for several years and this year was the regional winner for the entire Bay Area. 100% of their students participated, meaning they spent at least 30 minutes exercising every single day. With the obesity epidemic in American these days, being physically fit is important.

Ruskin Elementary School recognizes that being fit is not just good for us physically, but also leads to better academic outcomes. Their description of being RuskinFIT "include being academically and emotionally smart, physically active, and civic minded." Today, Kenny Rogers from the Governor's Fitness challenge recognized Ruskin and helped CVS Pharmacy present the school with $6000. The first $5000 will be used to provide fitness equpment for the school and the remaining $1000 is in the form of a CVS gift card to buy any supplies that the school needs.

Ruskin has twice been a California Distinguished School this decade, and being fit is a large part of their success. They have carried the program to a higher level, teaming up with the Nike Store for NikeFIT days on Fridays and will be installing a school garden to promote healthier eating habits. And they were recently featured in TriSports.com's blog.

Piedmont Middle School has also been very successfully participating in the Governor's Fitness Challenge. I have been promoting the idea that all of our schools should introduce fitness programs based on the fact that physical fitness helps promote mental fitness, which leads to improved academic performance. Tonight, Brooktree Elementary School kicks off their participation in the challenge. They will be joined by Ada Wong, a finalist on the current season of NBC's Biggest Loser.

Congratulations to Ruskin for a job well done!