February, 2010
Dear Friends,
Recently I was in Sacramento to hear the Governor's proposals for the 2010-2011 State Budget and K-12 Education. What I heard confirmed what is being widely reported that the "words don't match the music." The Governor vowed in his State of the State address to protect education funding. However, after analyzing the details of his proposal we find K-12 education funding is actually proposed to be reduced significantly due to a negative cost of living adjustment (COLA) and a proposal to cut administrative expenses in school districts by $1.5 billion statewide on an ongoing basis. The Governor's budget reflects the economic reality that the recession continues to impact California's ability to support public services, including public education. The facts are:
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Unemployment remains high
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Income and sales tax revenue remains low
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Real estate and construction activity remains at low levels
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Property taxes are being pressured downward
Our work within Sunnyvale School District over the next weeks and months will be to respond appropriately to another year of fiscal challenges. My concern is that the Governor's proposed budget, as bad as it is for education, may actually become worse. His budgetary assumptions of significant federal dollars being received, cuts to prisons, and cuts to health and human services may not and perhaps should not be realized. If any of the governor's assumptions are not realized more cuts could accrue to education. Consequently the 2010-2011 school year is promising to be the most difficult year of the recession thus far.
How is the funding crisis playing out in Santa Clara County? Over this past year and looking forward to next year it is commonplace to hear of school districts increasing class size, implementing furlough days, canceling summer school programs, closing schools and asking employee groups for employment contract concessions. Thus far Sunnyvale School District has been able to avoid such actions and our highest priority goal remains to preserve jobs and services that benefit the students we serve. I remain hopeful that we can achieve this goal during these fiscally challenging times. I look forward to the economic recovery in sight where education eventually benefits.
Let us continue to work together to support public education and local schools to better enable our students to achieve the Sunnyvale School District motto of "Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow."
Yours truly,
Benjamin H. Picard, Ed.D.
Superintendent
