School district prepares for budget cuts

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District budget is facing stark figures. Cuts are projected as high as 4.5 percent this year and 2.5 percent next year, but uncertainty will rule until the state budget passes.
Meanwhile, the housing market crisis has added a new level of concern.
The district succeeded in balancing its budget as of fall 2008, giving administrators confidence that they would be able to weather state cuts and have sufficient cash flow to cover payroll and other costs. However, the unexpected crash of the housing markets has hit the district where it hurts – property taxes.
SVUSD Assistant Superintendent Justin Frese said on Friday that due to the drop in property taxes, the district’s formerly balanced budget is now showing a $480,000 deficit.
He is still confident that cash flow is sufficient for meeting payroll. The day of reckoning will be the day that the state legislature passes the budget.
State cuts for SVUSD, retroactive to last July, are expected to be in the range of $1.2 to $1.8 million. That would be on top of the district’s current $480,000 deficit.
The precise dollar amount of the cuts depends on which programs the state ultimately targets and how heavily the district participates in those programs. It seems no program is untouchable. Legislators have proposed cuts running the gamut from elimination of class size reduction to shortening the school year. Frese said there will be a public process for dealing with the cuts once the state approves the budget.