While school districts across the state are sending out pinks slips over the next two weeks, South San Francisco Unified School District plans to retain its current staff.
“It really is our intent not to notice any staff,” said Jonathan Barth, assistant superintendent of business services. “This district has made so many cuts in the last couple years. We see a financial opportunity to be able to make it through a year.”
Many Bay Area school districts, including , are issuing layoff notices for next school year in case Gov. Jerry Brown’s package to extend state income, sales and vehicle taxes doesn’t pass in June.
School districts are required to notify teachers of layoffs for next school year by March 15. Districts often rescind the layoffs if salary funds come through.
Barth said the district only plans to give notice to temporary certificated staff, but this happens every year.
If Brown’s plan to plug part of the state’s $25 billion deficit fails, districts could lose $330 in funding per student.
Barth said SSFUSD would protect itself from cutbacks using its $3.3 million in reserves if the tax extensions fail.
“We believe that our allocated and unallocated reserves are sufficient to keep the district solvent even in the worst-case scenario and the tax extensions fail,” he said.
The district also has to close a next year. To close this gap, Barth said it would cash in rebate revenues from Measure J-funded solar projects and use $1.5 million in federal stimulus funds.
But the district isn’t out of the red yet, with the $1.9 million deficit returning in fiscal year 2013.
“We are basically buying ourselves a year to do planning should we need to make reductions,” he said.
