Petaluma City Schools

1
Petaluma City Schools

• Site and Department suggested budget cut
  proposals as presented during the Augmented
  Budget Committee meeting in the Districts Board
  of Education Room on February 17, 2009

2
Governors Proposed Change in Revenue Limit
2008-09 -4.57 2,100,000 2009-10 53 ADA
decline 327,000 2009-10
-2.52 1,100,000 Two Year Revenue Limit
reduction 3,527,000
3
Budget Cut Proposals for 2008-09
Hiring Freeze (non-essential positions only)
(1.5-custodians/1 grounds)
40,000/80,000 Spending Freeze
(non-essential) 300,000 No non-essential
subs or extra/over-time 200,000/400,000 If
Categorical flexibility is provided in mid-year
cuts will need to be explored
4
Potential Budget Cuts for 2009-10
Reduction of 5-days all employees Certificated
Bargaining Unit 980,000 Management
135,000 Classified Bargaining Unit
387,000 Confidential
13,000 TOTAL 1,515,000
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Potential Budget Cuts for 2009-10 (continued)
Class Size increase class size by one student
4-12th grade 750,000 Counselors High School
one per grade and JH 1500 (-1.2)
84,000 Secondary School Admin (1 AP per JH and
1400 HS with no part-time) 220,000 Change
positions that had increases in work
year Transportation Secretary (from 12 months
to 11 months) 3,900 Facility Managers (2)
(from 12 months to 11 months) 11,000
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Potential Budget Cuts for 2009-10 (continued)
Eliminate all athletic funding except for
coaches 35,800 Eliminate General Fund cost
for Entrepreneurs 103,000 Reduce Department
and Schools non-personnel budgets by
25 Departments 48,000 Schools 70,000
Total 118,000 Summer School Eliminate
District Childcare at McKinley 43,000
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If we are provided categorical flexibility we
will be looking at all options
Class Size K-3 by two students (requires
flexibility) 140,000 Ninth Grade Class
Size SIP Art and Music Block Grant Counseling
Instructional Materials TIIG PE
8
School Sites and Departments have proposed budget
cuts in the following
Administration Facilities Certificated Scho
ol Year Classified Supplies Personnel
(general) Curriculum Financial Miscellaneous

9
ADMINISTRATION

• Return of this years 25 parity raise for
  Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent
• A reduction in Upper Management salaries and all
  Classified Management salaries (Why were they
  even given a parity raise you knew then about
  the budget crisis)
• Eliminate management gas allowance (2)
• Crossroads Close (reduction of rental, staffing,
  site admin) or move to PJHS and assign a PJH AP
  to oversee (1 admin reduction)
• One Alternative Education Principal to cover
  Carpe Diem, Sonoma Mountain, San Antonio
  (Reduction of 1 admin)
• PJHS AP to oversee Valley Oaks Independent Study
• Eliminate AP, Adult Education (reduction 1 admin)

10
ADMINISTRATION

• Consolidate 2 Director positions into one Asst.
  Supt. position. Redistribute duties to
  Coordinator of Student Services and Director of
  Special Education (reduction of 1 admin position)
  (2)
• Move all stipends like STAR testing coordinator
  etc. to an administrative duty
• Facility Manager positions Only have one or
  eliminate both and assign duties to APs like
  parity districts. Emergency Prep and Custodial
  can return to M O Director. (reduction of 1 or
  2 management positions) (2)
• Eliminate 1 AP position at the junior high level
• Overstaffing at Secondary schools, i.e. multiple
  Assistant Principals
• Reduce the work year for all administrative and
  management personnel

11
ADMINISTRATION

• Re-evaluate proposed junior high AP ratio - to
  match high schools - 1/400 students - possible
  job share? Less than this impacts the sites
  tremendously
• Re-look at the amount of time Principals/Assistant
  Principals are required to attend sports events
  at night
• Eliminate Management retreats or have them
  locally or at D.O. to reduce costs. Have them
  bring their own food and snacks. (2)
• Have all Classified Management positions drop
  back to Supervisor pay until the budget crisis is
  over. They have been Supervisors in the past to
  save money.
• Enforce management working with employees to use
  their vacation hours during the year earned

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CERTIFICATED

• Reduce Special Services staff
• Freeze hiring of auxiliary employees like
  Enrichment Specialists and Intervention
  Specialists
• Reduce 1 Behavior Specialist position (1 position
  reduction)
• Eliminate Literacy Coaches
• Eliminate safe schools positions (2)
• Reduce counselor contract by 5 days
• This is not a cost saving measure, but a
  consideration of equity
• Counselor ratios to be equitable across the
  district.
• Junior highs 1 500
• High Schools 1 350 (National Standards
  suggest counselor
• to student ratios of 1250)
• Small Necessary Schools CD SM CR 1
  counselor
• SA VO 1 counselor

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CERTIFICATED

• Raising teacher ratios to 160. Class maximums
  would still be 32, but a teacher could have 5
  sections of 32
• For teacher subs for partial days, create a
  master sub schedule where teachers would be "on
  call" on their preps for a one week period,
  covering a class if necessary. In any given
  week, teachers may or may not have to sub during
  their prep, depending on how many teachers need a
  partial day sub for that week. This master
  schedule would be created at the beginning of the
  year and there would be 3 to 5 teachers each week
  "on call" (or whatever number would make sense
  for a site). Teachers would be prepared for
  their "on call week. Provide a cost analysis
  for how much is expended on subs each year. If
  this saves jobs, teachers might be willing risk
  losing a prep or two during their "on call" week.

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CERTIFICATED

• Monitor usage of subs OK with high enrollment
  classes
• Eliminate staff stipends for extra duties, i.e.
  dances, supervising sports etc. (2)
• Eliminate Staff Development days unless they
  specifically address giving teachers new
  information/ techniques
• Significantly reduce the number of school
  business leaves for teachers which would reduce
  the cost for subs
• Schedule all district meetings after school is
  out eliminating the need for partial day subs
  (63.00 plus benefits) (2)
• Explore different grade level configurations to
  balance enrollment with staff

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CLASSIFIED

• Employees be given the option of voluntarily
  taking a five percent pay reduction
• No new classified positions
• Reduce or Eliminate clerical positions at the
  D.O. that were added in the last year (additional
  HR, Technology, others?) (3)
• Look at all new classified and confidential
  positions before determining any areas for
  layoffs
• Furlough non-essential D.O. positions in summer
• Seriously limit or eliminate comp time for
  classified employees as it reduces the use of
  vacation and increases the Districts cost
  liability for unused vacation

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CLASSIFIED

• Custodians Merge elementary custodians into
  teams of 2 who would be responsible for the
  evening cleaning of 3 schools (this will
  eliminate 2 full time custodial positions.
• Custodians Create a rotating night Custodial
  team to service elementary sites and at secondary
  sites clean classrooms every other night
• Custodians Reduce Custodial time from twice a
  week to once a week at Transportation Yard
• Custodians Have services every other day
• Custodians Long-term custodian subs only (after
  3 consecutive days off). No subs for vacation
  days taken during regular school days.
• Hire outside cleaning service for evenings and
  summer

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CLASSIFIED

• Forgo classified vacation 5 day "overage" pay
  outs on unused prior year vacation hours
  (management to work with employees to place on
  mandatory vacation to reduce the
  liability) without impacting student services
• Offer "senior" classified a one time only
  retirement incentive - same as been offered to
  certificated, management and confidential
  (minimum age 55 and 20 service years required)

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CLASSIFIED

• Transportation Eliminate Bus Drivers
  reimbursements or put a cap on meals while on
  field trips (2)
• Transportation Eliminate weekend CASTO
  workshops which would eliminate the need to pay
  overtime and the cost of the workshop
• Transportation Driver/Trainer position reduced
  to 11 months until the budget crisis is over
• Transportation Secretary position reduced to 11
  months until the budget crisis is over
• Transportation School buses should not be taken
  home at the end of a route, they should be
  returned to the bus yard

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CLASSIFIED

• Technology Do we need three Computer Support
  Technicians plus a Director of Technology (4)
• Expand the role of campus supervisors and assign
  other duties as needed, i.e. help with day
  custodian, cover ISS, etc.
• Food Services Eliminate breakfast program at
  schools that have a loss i.e. Grant, Cherry
  Valley, Penngrove, and McNear This is 6 hours
  per day labor and major savings in food cost
• Freeze all "clothing" allowances for one year only

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PERSONNEL (general)

• Consider mandatory furloughs for all employees
• Encourage administrators to watch probationary
  periods and to evaluate their employees so that
  only the 'cream of the crop' are retained
• Cut staff at the D.O. to commensurate with cuts
  occurring at the sites.
• All district employees to take a decrease in
  salaries- everyone! Roll back to 06/07 or 07/08
  levels? (2)
• Freeze all movement on all salary schedules for
  one year only - play catch up on step and
  (column) in 2010-2011
• Scrutinize the use of Personal Necessity leave
  (employees need to complete the forms in advance
  when possible) (2)

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PERSONNEL (general)

• Look at all positions that have increased from 10
  or 11 months to 12 months
• 4/10 hour day work schedule
• Eliminate all mandated trainings
• Training/staff development through adult
  education
• Look at outside contractors vs. a 1/2 or full
  time position with the District
• Have website maintenance done by a District
  employee rather than by an outside vendor
• Reduce the number of holidays in the contract

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PERSONNEL (general)

• Job descriptions could be made available on line
  instead of handing out hard copies to anyone that
  comes in (savings on paper and postage costs)
• Intrusion alarm installation done by district
  electricians and not an outside contractor
• Don't extend any financial benefits received from
  a grant to other sites when they could have
  applied for the same grant but didn't for
  example paying for SLC from general fund dollars
• What cuts are being considered at District
  Office? What positions in the Administration
  Building are being evaluated for what is
  essential?
• For future consideration The District/Board to
  not grant lifetime district paid health and
  welfare benefits to any employees this
  recommendation is based on the negative financial
  impact as recently demonstrated in neighboring
  districts

23
FINANCIAL

• Increase facility use fees (4)
• Increase transportation fees (3)
• Raise Community Education fees
• Increase of Department cutbacks
• Grants generated to provide personnel, programs
  for students
• Coordinate and provide smaller districts
  services, i.e. food and transportation to
  generate revenue
• District-provided preschool before and after
  school childcare, fee-based
• Continue to offer First Aid, CPR, computer skills
  training classes, Parent Ed, etc. through Adult
  Ed, in partnership with other district
  departments and programs

24
FINANCIAL

• Solicit donations from the community. District to
  lighten up on fundraising rules
• Raise the threshold on who qualifies for free or
  reduced transportation
• Allow Food Services to sell Starbucks coffee type
  drinks at the High Schools (3)
• NO first class mailings unless it is a certified
  letter. Postage is going up again in May. (this
  could be a savings of thousands of dollars)
• Also, NO handwritten letters because they have to
  be sent first class
• Eliminate paying for home Internet use for
  Cabinet and Board members
• Reduce Administrative costs

25
FINANCIAL

• Eliminate all perks throughout the district.
  i.e.- cell phones, cars, mileage, travel,
  conferences etc.
• Eliminate/stop all projects or contracts that are
  not already guaranteed. (fully funded) (2)
• Pony deliveries Monday, Wednesday and Friday's
  with the exception - on payroll deadline day at
  month's end. (a savings of 8 labor hours per
  week) (3)
• Pony deliveries Eliminate summer pony driver,
  warehouse person can deliver on Tuesdays and
  Thursdays
• Printers Look at how many printers in a Dept.
  and the cost of operation. Could reduce the
  number of printers in the D.O.
• Print on recycled paper as much as possible

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FINANCIAL

• Individuals could have the option of purchasing
  their own ink and paper
• Centralize printing at sites to reduce the number
  of printers
• Downsize semester brochures, reducing printing
  and postage costs
• Reduce the amount of photocopies used in the
  classroom with a best practices focus on
  strategies that cut the dependence on handouts
• Eliminate the use of District Vehicles to do
  lunch runs
• Make sure students do Independent Study when on
  trips for ADA to District
• Encourage teachers to recommend that students
  purchase their own textbook

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FINANCIAL

• Mail semester report cards to all students only.
  For progress report cards, mail only to students
  with a D or an F, distribute all other report
  cards to students in classes. This puts the
  responsibility of grade communication and
  parental notification of grades on the student
  where it should be except for students with
  failing grades. Provide cost analysis of savings
• Barcode all textbooks and have a central check
  out clerk who works full time for the first and
  last two weeks of school. This might have an
  initial cost, but will most likely save money in
  the long run in text book recover. Withhold
  report cards and diplomas for students who have
  outstanding textbooks. If the process were
  barcoded, then lists of students with texts would
  be easy to compile and bill.
• Eliminate mailing the District Booklet to
  administrative applicants and do not reorder
  booklets when our current supply is depleted
• Enforce recycling efforts to reduce our garbage
  bills
• Save a Teacher fundraiser
• In general, cut budget furthest from students (2)

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FACILITIES

• Consider moving some 6th grades to PJHS so that
  elementary schools can take more students
• Consider making PJHS a K-8 school and closing an
  elementary site
• Close district office 1 day a week
• Close Adult Educ. office during Spring Break
• Conduct energy audit at all sites and departments
  to identify ways in which to reduce use and save
  money

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FACILITIES

• Utilities - reduce usage - less water and
  electricity. Give each site information about
  the site's monthly electric and water usage. Let
  schools reduce electricity use by some
  percentage, say 10. Provide cost analysis for
  savings for each 1,000 kilowatt hours (or
  whatever measure makes sense). Sites could
  choose how to reduce electricity use. (4)
• Utilities Lock and monitor A/C and heating
  thermostats to confirm the timers are working
  correctly and efficiently. Monitor the air
  conditioner in the summer and open the doors. (2)
• Utilities Turn off heat and cooling over
  weekends and holidays (2)
• Utilities If temperatures are 70 degrees or
  above turn off all heaters District wide
• Utilities If temperatures are 80 degrees or
  below turn off all AC units District wide

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FACILITIES

• Allow site control of watering systems
• Unplug and remove all classroom and office
  appliances, heaters, etc. (3)
• Turn off all computers, printers and screens at
  end of day and over the weekends (6)
• Lighting - in the DO three florescent tubes are
  enough, and bathroom and staffroom lights should
  be turned off. (4)
• Blackout elementary sites for 2-4 weeks over the
  summer

31
FACILITIES

• Cut out landscaping maintenance
• Charge city sports/athletic programs for clean
  up/fixing of fields
• Continue to maintain the playing fields for
  sports but replace some lawns with inexpensive
  ground cover/native plants
• Mow lawns every 2 3 weeks instead of weekly
• Eliminate spraying over holidays

32
FACILITIES

• Work with Booster Clubs, District wide, for cash
  donations to maintain athletic fields
• Portables that could be eliminated? San Antonio,
  Casa P1, Valley Vista, McNear, MCSCV?
• Dont move forward on the proposed new leased
  portable at McKinley for Adult Ed
• Consider taking some common vacation days over
  summer months, so facilities can close
• Solicit rentals of space, such as church and the
  like

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SCHOOL YEAR

• Change teaching/school attendance to 4 longer
  days a year instead of the standard 5 days
• Summer School
• 1) eliminate Summer School, or
• 2) have fee based summer school for enrichment,
  out of district attendance, and acceleration
  opportunities, or
• 3) have for students who are deficient in credits
  and in danger of retention only, or
• 4) eliminate K-8 and only have it for 9-12 (5)
• Cut 5 days of teaching- district-wide

34
SCHOOL YEAR

• Eliminate year round schedules to save on
  transportation, personnel and services
• Have year-round schools on the same calendar
• Have all schools throughout Sonoma County on the
  same school year calendar (3)
• Shorten school year for some or all programs

35
SUPPLIES

• Conserve office and instructional supplies
• To reduce paper costs- increase on-line
  productivity. Have all forms available to staff
  and families on-line
• Reduce classroom use of paper-less copies, more
  board work, overheads and textbooks. Lets use
  what we have and stop copying it
• Cut back on paper and copy machine usage. Use
  overheads and transparencies when able...students
  can utilize pencils and their paper for
  assignments
• Freeze all bottled water deliveries except for
  health/safety reasons Stop buying bottled water
  for meetings. Use pitchers of water instead of
  bottled water. (3)

36
SUPPLIES

• Seek out warehouse donations for furniture,
  office supplies
• Take an Educational Services inventory of office
  supplies to share
• Avoid unnecessary printing send electronic
  copies to sites scan and e-mail documents as
  pdf use recycled paper to print(2)
• Eliminate most cleaning chemicals and go to a
  product that is an all-purpose type cleaner at 1
  ounce per gallon dilution rate. One gallon of
  cleaner will cost approx. 18 cents as opposed to
  61 cents per gallon.

37
CURRICULUM

• Reduce excessive paperwork, like BTSA. Most of it
  can be done on-line
• Eliminate 2nd year BTSA
• Class Size Reduction Revise or drop (maybe for
  2 years) (2)
• Class Size Reduction Only in grades K through
  3. What data exists that small class sizes in
  9th grade improve student performance? Do we
  have fewer D's and F's in the 9th grade because
  of class size reduction? Do more students
  receive B's and A's because of class size
  reduction in the 9th grade?
• Class Size Monitor and close low enrollment
  classes

38
CURRICULUM

• Review cost/reward ratios for all alternative ed
  programs to determine which programs continue to
  be justifiable
• Reduce the number of SDAIE sections. Good
  teaching strategies include SDAIE methodology so
  reducing the number of SDAIE sections should
  technically not be too harmful to EL students.
  Maintain levels of EL, and some sections of
  SDAIE, just reduce the quantity - i.e., no SDAIE
  Algebra 2, no SDAIE Chemistry
• Reduce the effort and "manpower" invested in the
  SART and SARB process at the site and district
  level. Send letters to parents, conduct one
  group meeting a month for example, but limit the
  staff investment in getting kids to come to
  school. This is really the parent's and
  student's responsibility to attend school.

39
CURRICULUM

• Eliminate 0 period for all but Band, PE, and Art
  classes. Students may take only 6 classes. This
  would change the school day and would require the
  shared decision making process, but if jobs are
  to be cut, this might save jobs, so teachers
  might be willing to entertain this idea. Do a
  cost analysis so we could see how much the 0
  period day costs the district. So many kids take
  5 classes in the junior and senior years, that I
  don't think that we would be harming students.
  For those students who want to get ahead, they
  can take extra classes at the JC. Other
  students, who have less money for JC classes,
  could take lots of AP classes at the site. Band
  classes would not have the double requirement.
  The cost savings would be that all classes fall
  in the 6 period parameter, making scheduling and
  staffing more flexible and that students wouldn't
  be taking 7 classes although we get reimbursed
  for 6 only.

40
CURRICULUM

• Do STAR testing every-other-year or just say no.
  Is 2nd grade testing optional? What is the cost?
  (2)
• Freeze textbook adoptions
• Explore magnet/specialized programs at elementary
  sites, i.e., dual immersion, GATE,
  science/technology
• K-3 schools and 4-6 schools
• Middle school grades 6-8 instead of junior high
  grades 7-8
• Score primary writing samples at sites save
  on subs
• Reduce number of assessments (paper cost, subs)
  (2)

41
CURRICULUM

• End Edusoft cost/benefit too costly and
  little or no benefit
• Cancel in-service days not student days (if we
  must cut days)
• Save sub dollars No Springboard CANCEL TODAY
  for next week
• No Curriculum Council to save sub dollars
• Cancel Leadership Symposium TODAY!
• 4 x per year ELRT meetings can be reduced save
  for subs
• Eliminate Petaluma Network and District
  Consultants - too many sub days (3)
• Discontinue Report Card Committee. Do we need
  the expense of all the meetings, printing, etc.
  at this time?
• Do not adopt new instructional materials

42
MISCELLANEOUS

• Stop feeding people at meetings, including
  interview committees, Board members at Board
  meetings, etc. (2)
•  
• Eliminate health care, if any, for Board of
  Education members (remember, they are elected)
• Put Board of Education packet on computer discs
  to reduce the amount of hard copies being made
• District owned vehicles - limit use to work
  related only - not to be used for lunch runs or
  other personal errands...(2)
• Recycling all paperwork
• Boys Girls Club provide fee-base child care at
  the elementary summer school program

43
MISCELLANEOUS

• More thought can be put into how we ship UPS/Fed
  Ex/USPS. We could use ground methods more often
  which would reduce shipping costs significantly.
  Last minute mailings should be avoided as much as
  possible as it sometimes triples the cost
• Use Pony and SCOE AV whenever possible rather
  than postage mail
• With the installation and use of the TransTracks
  software we could discontinue the hard copy of
  the application
• Cut down on copies of documents
• Cut back on paper and copy machine usage Scan
  copies when possible and send via e-mail
• Consolidate trips to Home Depot and Lowes.

44
MISCELLANEOUS

• Reduce coverall clothing delivery from weekly to
  bi-monthly. It is suggested we have only one
  delivery site for both Maintenance and
  Transportation.
• At the Maintenance Yard inventorying stock on
  hand so everyone knows what is on hand rather
  than buying something that is already at the
  shop. Keep minimal stock on hand so as not to
  tie up other operating funds.
• Purchase frequently used items, such as  safety
  glasses, gloves, zip ties, rain gear, batteries,
  etc., in bulk at a larger retail outlet rather
  than buying from Masselli's at premium cost.
• Evaluate dust mop service for savings at all
  sites
• Eliminate transportation for all sports except
  football and track

45
MISCELLANEOUS

• District should use in-house resources before
  contracting out jobs. For example, the District
  Newsletter and Pathfinder are compiled by two
  professionals (copywriting design) - why can't
  we have the high school journalism and computer
  classes work on these as a project. Same for the
  District website - currently we pay lots of money
  to an outside web developer and are not able to
  make changes easily. For example, when Adult Ed
  wants to cancel a class they are told that it is
  too expensive to change it on the website so
  people are signing up for classes that have been
  canceled. This is a project a computer teacher
  would love to have. By doing this the students
  are receiving invaluable work experience and the
  District would save lots of money. If there is a
  concern about students doing the work, there are
  possibly available people in the District Office
  who could take on these responsibilities

46
MISCELLANEOUS

• The number of copying jobs that are sent out to
  Minuteman could be greatly reduced if our
  machines were utilized more efficiently.
• We have wonderful resources right at our
  fingertips that are not being utilized fully -
  both people and machinery
• Inform and communicate with teachers and staff as
  the budget details for 2008-09, 2009-10 become
  clearer
• Focus is to keep cuts as far away from classroom
  as possible! (4)