Tracy Press

It's time for the community to help the Tracy Unified School District.

It’s evident that Tracy Unified School District administrators and employees are serious about the possibility of a 6 percent budget cut — a loss of $7.2 million — from next school year’s spending plan. They are reconsidering $5 and $10 office expenditures. The administrative assistant to the school’s business manager won’t be replaced after she retires this summer. In the classrooms, all unnecessary spending has been frozen, as have new hires. The personnel department hopes to minimize possible layoffs within the teaching ranks of 850 by early retirements through previously negotiated benefit perks and by normal attrition.

Friday, a budget advisory committee of administrators and trustees was organized to prioritize ways to reduce programs, services and personnel. Some of the ideas being floated include eliminating freshman high school athletics, mothballing John C. Kimball High School after it is built next year and closing a school or two because of declining enrollment in the elementary grades.

After this committee finishes ranking the potential cuts, the process will go to the classified and teacher unions, the TUSD management group and Superintendent Jim Franco.

Then in May, according to plan, the school board will consider Franco’s recommendations and make the anticipated cuts. It will be serious business when the trustees stare at the numbers and, hopefully, think of the people whose lives will be affected by their actions.

The mantra in the superintendent’s office is to keep the budget cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. That won’t be easy this year, because two previous budget cuts this decade, totaling about $4 million, already have made the district’s expense account lean. California public schools rank 43rd out of 50 nationally in per-pupil spending — with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed reduction, it could become 49th. The threat to a generation of our community is serious when there will be $440 less to spend on educating each child.

Our community should take this threat to education seriously, too, by flooding the Legislature at the state Capitol in Sacramento with e-mails and phone calls that urge Sen. Michael Machado and Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani to increase, not decrease, the flow of money to public schools.

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written by Kathy , February 10, 2008

The schools have had to make budget cuts many times. Sadly too often it is the programs most needed by more marginalized students that are the first to get the ax.

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written by Tammy Greemwood , February 11, 2008

People are greatly misinformed and the community needs to speak up quickly before it’s too late. Do you think the cuts will hit administrators and teachers first? That is doubtful. Yes we must have our teachers. But do we really need all those consultants and vice principals? Who really holds the district together? Who serves your children their food each day and scrubs the pots and pans after [food service]; who drives your children safely to school [school bus drivers]; who cleans your children’s classrooms and restrooms [custodians]; who maintains the grounds and equipment [maintenance]; who works in the classroom [para educators]; who keeps your children safe on the play ground [yard duty and security]; who keeps our school offices going [clerical] and the list goes on and on! Classified employees are the glue that holds the district together! Our children need them. The teachers and administers won’t be doing this important work if these workers get cut! People in the community needs to stand up and demand classified jobs be protected! Write the governor, congress, senate and assembly and demand them to: STOP CUTS TO EDUCATION! Cuts to education directly hurts our children and our future. Wake up people!

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written by cathy hill , February 11, 2008

I am very concerned for the workers of the school district. They do so much for our children and I hope the district has the good sense to not lay off the people who are so very much needed in our schools. When I look at the workers such as the office staff, custodians, food service workers, yard duty and school bus drivers, I cannot imagine how the schools could function without them. They are so important to our kids. It will hurt my children and our schools if that were to happen.

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written by scott hurban , February 11, 2008

Please consider , we have a 14.5 billion dollar deficit. More people are leaving the state than entering ( speaking of legal people). The high cost of living here makes people leave and take their tax revenue with them. Increased taxes will actually reduce revenue as it forces more businesses to leave. So where should we cut. Every one says cut somewhere else. Well, where is that some where else? We are out of money and someone is going to suffer as we are broke!!!
It's easy to whine, but no one ever has an answer as to what ought to be cut.

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written by Futurist , February 11, 2008

Education is the foundation to all our economics: localy, state-wide, and in California's case: nationally! Court costs and criminality are reduced when you give the next generation the skills and hope for a better future. Corporations stay and grow when the well-trained employment pool is present. California technology must get its most skilled labor from abroad. Higher wages from a skilled labor force increase tax revenue, which also increases economic prosperity in all sectors. Cutting education in California when it falls behind the national norm (whereas its national economic contribution is at the top of the spectrum-- so funding should be at the highest nationally) means the foundations of our state's base is being cut. A downward spiral.
Where to make the cuts? We have civil servants who are making 6 digit wages, mostly from overtime and homeland security funds. Eliminate that: police, fire, and other civil servants used to make the same as teachers! What happen to that parity? Cut the pork barrel projects that are not necessary at this time. Focus on solid growth measures. Educational cuts cause an immediate harm, to ALL of us, as our dropout rates increase, unskilled labors need long-term assitance (welfare and other entitlements), and local economies suffer. A depressed economy and loss of hope means rising mental health, domestic battery, and loss of overall family values. Every year we have a new group of graduates entering the local job markets: no wonder they are ill-prepared with the current level of funding! Let's reverse this trend!

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written by scott hurban , February 11, 2008

Futurist
The cuts you propose won't get but 1 billion maybe. You've got 13 billion to go! Suggest some more and then try and make it politically viable.

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written by scott hurban , February 11, 2008

By the way, there is a lot more than funding that explains their lack of ability. I will probably write a series of letters on it. Don't think that funding is the be all to end all. California is where it is because no one would or could make the needed cuts to put our financial house in order. Other states spend more on their kids because they made proper cuts and held the line on spending in other areas to afford more money for education. We have not. New every group is going to say don't cut me, cut the guy behind the tree. So where will you get all the cuts to prevent financial disaster? I have been telling people this was coming for over 10 years ( of course it isn't rocket science).

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written by hard worker , February 19, 2008