Superintendent Godwin Spells Out FCUSD Budget Woes

The Folsom Cordova Unified School District will be returning from their winter break with the goal of cutting at least $10.6 million from their budget, an update from Superintendent Patrick Godwin said.

Though the amount of potential cuts has been reduced from the original figure of $20 million late in 2009, Godwin said the number could go up if California cuts more funding to education. “There is a strong possibility that the state’s declining revenues will cause the governor to recommend even deeper cuts to education when he proposes his budget in January,” he said.

Godwin noted that the state cut funding to districts for average daily attendance by $250 for the current school year, and the funds were scheduled to be restored for 2010-2011. If the funds are not restored, Godwin said, then the district will need to cut at least $15 million from their budget.

A list was provided in the update that detailed reductions the district is considering, and some of those reductions could result in the elimination of some positions. The 44 Principal and Vice Principal positions held in the district are under consideration for potential reductions, with each cut to administration saving the district from $106,000 to $130,000; the district is also looking at 29.5 other administrative positions that, if cut, could save the district from $70,000 to $145,000 for the year.

Other considerations on the list include charging athletics participants $150 , eliminating freshman sports, increasing class size to anywhere from 28 to 32 students per teacher, reducing counseling services, instituting a 1 percent salary reduction, reducing the work year by anywhere from one to six days, increasing walking distance for students on one to two bus routes and eliminating summer school for grades six to eight.

Suggestions from the public on potential budget reductions can be sent to budgetideas@fcusd.org; a preliminary list of reductions will be presented to the Board of Education in January for consideration. The district will also hold public forums about the cuts before decisions are finalized, Godwin said.

“We regret the emotional toll having to issue a significant number of notices of potential layoffs will have on our valued staff,” Godwin said in the update. “Unfortunately, there are very few options available to us, and we will have to prepare for the worst while we work to find better solutions.”

California currently ranks number 47 in the U.S. for public education funding, with $7,571 spent per student compared to the national average of $9,963. Godwin said his district received slightly less than $7,000 per student from all sources, nearly $3,000 less than the average expenditure per student is in the country.