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CALEXICO — A grim budget outlook seems to not be stifling the spirits of Calexico Unified School District administration as they continue to work through the numbers for the 2011-2012 district budget.
A workshop here Wednesday showed the district’s adopted budget for 2011-2012 including a $330 per average daily attendance reduction, deficit spending, and a negative fund balance projected for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, among other points.
“We’re closing the books on 2010-11 spending more money than we’re taking in by about $4 million. … We need to make significant budget reductions,” financial consultant Eric Hall said at the meeting.
Calexico Unified is projected to have a $6.9 million negative balance in the general fund for 2012-2013 and a negative $16.3 million for the 2013-2014 general fund, according to the presentation.
The district’s 2011-2012 adopted budget shows $66.6 million total in projected/actual revenues and $75 million in projected expenditures.
“We’ve been reduced in funding by the state dramatically, but we haven’t slowed down our expenses to reflect the lower dollars and of course when you look at the (coming) years you can only do that so long,” Hall said.
As state cash deferrals continue to stop dollars, cash flow problems will continue for Calexico and all school districts, Superintendent Richard Fragale said.
Only 55 percent of annual state funding will come to schools statewide from July to January, with 38.4 percent of funding being deferred to the next fiscal year, according to information presented to the board this week.
It is because of this and the district’s reliance on state over local funding that district administration is considering adopting a five-area fiscal recovery plan to find about $6 million “to turn the ship and lead the district towards fiscal recovery,” according to the presentation.
The fiscal recovery plan includes debt restructuring and capital projects, attendance waiver/appeals, student attendance improvement, strategic categorical implementation and deeper looks into employee compensation and staffing in negotiations.
Employee compensation and staffing
Eric Hall & Associates suggest a $1.5 million reduction in employee costs, according to a fiscal recovery plan chart.
“I have frozen the salaries for all the certificated and classified administrators effective July 1 (of this year),” Fragale said Thursday.
“We’ll be meeting with the two (unions) right at the beginning of August, and we’ve been meeting (on the budget).
“The more that our staff knows the easier for them to understand that we all have to bite the bullet at some point,” Fragale said. “Either there’s a reduction of some kind in the salary and benefit area or we lose positions and that’s tough for all of us.”
Attendance waiver, appeals and raising attendance
Even with the 10-day attendance waiver granted by the Imperial County Office of Education, the Calexico Unified School District is being penalized by the state for seven days of lost instructional days in the aftermath of the April 4, 2010 earthquake, Fragale said.
In addition, Calexico High School is being penalized by three days and Jefferson Elementary for six more days, Fragale said.
“We’re in the process of asking for a waiver (from the state),” Fragale said.
A workshop here Wednesday showed the district’s adopted budget for 2011-2012 including a $330 per average daily attendance reduction, deficit spending, and a negative fund balance projected for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, among other points.
“We’re closing the books on 2010-11 spending more money than we’re taking in by about $4 million. … We need to make significant budget reductions,” financial consultant Eric Hall said at the meeting.
Calexico Unified is projected to have a $6.9 million negative balance in the general fund for 2012-2013 and a negative $16.3 million for the 2013-2014 general fund, according to the presentation.
The district’s 2011-2012 adopted budget shows $66.6 million total in projected/actual revenues and $75 million in projected expenditures.
“We’ve been reduced in funding by the state dramatically, but we haven’t slowed down our expenses to reflect the lower dollars and of course when you look at the (coming) years you can only do that so long,” Hall said.
As state cash deferrals continue to stop dollars, cash flow problems will continue for Calexico and all school districts, Superintendent Richard Fragale said.
Only 55 percent of annual state funding will come to schools statewide from July to January, with 38.4 percent of funding being deferred to the next fiscal year, according to information presented to the board this week.
It is because of this and the district’s reliance on state over local funding that district administration is considering adopting a five-area fiscal recovery plan to find about $6 million “to turn the ship and lead the district towards fiscal recovery,” according to the presentation.
The fiscal recovery plan includes debt restructuring and capital projects, attendance waiver/appeals, student attendance improvement, strategic categorical implementation and deeper looks into employee compensation and staffing in negotiations.
Employee compensation and staffing
Eric Hall & Associates suggest a $1.5 million reduction in employee costs, according to a fiscal recovery plan chart.
“I have frozen the salaries for all the certificated and classified administrators effective July 1 (of this year),” Fragale said Thursday.
“We’ll be meeting with the two (unions) right at the beginning of August, and we’ve been meeting (on the budget).
“The more that our staff knows the easier for them to understand that we all have to bite the bullet at some point,” Fragale said. “Either there’s a reduction of some kind in the salary and benefit area or we lose positions and that’s tough for all of us.”
Attendance waiver, appeals and raising attendance
Even with the 10-day attendance waiver granted by the Imperial County Office of Education, the Calexico Unified School District is being penalized by the state for seven days of lost instructional days in the aftermath of the April 4, 2010 earthquake, Fragale said.
In addition, Calexico High School is being penalized by three days and Jefferson Elementary for six more days, Fragale said.
“We’re in the process of asking for a waiver (from the state),” Fragale said.
