San Juan Unified School District Prepares for More Potential Expenditure Reductions

On Tuesday night, the San Juan Unified School District’s Board of Education will review the District’s second interim financial report which details updated budget projections including nearly $36 million in expenditure reductions. The District hopes the reductions will put an end to a pattern of deficit spending.

The District has managed to retain some of its budget through the use of its ending fund balance (something like a savings account) and federal stimulus dollars. Through these means, the District was able to retain certain faculty and staff. However, approximately $7.2 million in budget reductions at the beginning of February saw the elimination of dozens of school counselors, librarians, teachers and other administrators.

Due to money spent during the current and last fiscal year to offset state budget cuts, the ending fund balance and the federal stimulus funds being of a one-time nature, the District cannot continue to support the current pattern of spending.

According to a press release statement, the second interim financial report presents a best-case scenario and assumes that Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget will be approved, and that voters will extend already existing temporary taxes in a special election. If the election should fail, the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office is predicting that California’s K-12 schools could be cut between $2 and $5 billion resulting in San Juan Unified needing to find an additional $13.6 - $35 million in reductions.