California school districts have gotten plenty of practice trimming budgets. Being asked now for the fourth consecutive year to cut yet another notch into already constricted fiscal belt, Napa Valley Unified School District is creatively searching for ways to minimize the impact on our local students.
The school district’s budget will be cut by $6.2 million next year — or about 5.6 percent — without the aid of voter-approved tax extensions in November.
News this month of improved tax revenue in Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget proposal overshadowed the ongoing deficit reality and his plan’s continued reliance on tax extensions.
The $6.6 billion in projected new money advertised in Brown’s May revision would not erase the $6.2 million in local budget cuts.
Those reductions hinge almost exclusively on the extension of state sales and income taxes and the approval of vehicle license fees.
But with that promise of rescue not yet even on the ballot, the district is looking in a total of 25 different places to reach its $6.2 million mandate.
Ranging from savings of $10,000 to $1.4 million, cuts to everything from travel stipends and cell phone use to furlough days and layoffs are being addressed.
But Napa Unified is also searching for innovative ways to save while keeping educational opportunities in front of its students.
Facing the elimination of instrumental instruction at the elementary school level, district Superintendent Patrick Sweeney went to the Napa Valley Education Foundation’s Robin Hampton with the challenge of fundraising $85,000 to keep the program. Hampton, with the charitable contributions of Napa Valley citizens, saved the instruction while the district was able to erase $85,000 from its budget without erasing classes.
The school district’s budget will be cut by $6.2 million next year — or about 5.6 percent — without the aid of voter-approved tax extensions in November.
News this month of improved tax revenue in Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget proposal overshadowed the ongoing deficit reality and his plan’s continued reliance on tax extensions.
The $6.6 billion in projected new money advertised in Brown’s May revision would not erase the $6.2 million in local budget cuts.
Those reductions hinge almost exclusively on the extension of state sales and income taxes and the approval of vehicle license fees.
But with that promise of rescue not yet even on the ballot, the district is looking in a total of 25 different places to reach its $6.2 million mandate.
Ranging from savings of $10,000 to $1.4 million, cuts to everything from travel stipends and cell phone use to furlough days and layoffs are being addressed.
But Napa Unified is also searching for innovative ways to save while keeping educational opportunities in front of its students.
Facing the elimination of instrumental instruction at the elementary school level, district Superintendent Patrick Sweeney went to the Napa Valley Education Foundation’s Robin Hampton with the challenge of fundraising $85,000 to keep the program. Hampton, with the charitable contributions of Napa Valley citizens, saved the instruction while the district was able to erase $85,000 from its budget without erasing classes.
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