District adopts 2022/23 budget with $6.3 million deficit
New policy adopted to provide AP Testing flexibility
Boys and Girls Club Sublease to Cedar Cover School extended
Resolution regarding new Trustee Area map fails to pass
Kaplan College Preparation fails to gain Board support
Special Meeting of the Board set for Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 3:30pm
District Budget
The Board approved a budget for the 2022/23 school year that contains $171.5 million of revenue and $177.8 million of expenses, generating a budget deficit of ($6.3 million).
This budget continues the recent trend of deficit spending and reduced District reserves. The approved budget forecasts total available reserves of $14.4 million at the end of 2022/23, which is about 8% of annual revenues. The target adopted by the Board is a reserve level of 18%. The District cannot continue to operate at a loss and remain financially solvent.
The District hired two consulting firms to review the District’s operations and recommend ways to improve efficiencies and internal controls, School Services of California and Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team. Both consultants presented their findings at the Board meeting.
Interim Superintendent Tina Douglas committed to consider each recommendation from the consultants and report back to the Board with a plan to improve operating performance. In particular, School Services identified restructuring opportunities in District Operations that will improve role clarity, communication, and accountability while reducing cost. This will be a priority of Interim Superintendent Douglas and our new Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Mary Anne Nuskin.
AP Testing Flexibility
Several weeks ago, district parents contacted me to discuss our AP testing policy. We normally allow students to take an AP exam during the late testing dates if they had a conflict that prevented them from taking the initial AP exam, but only if the conflict was due to a school-sponsored event, such as a sporting or club event. Some students, however, participate in non-school sponsored sports and activities that may also cause a conflict. Working collaboratively with staff, I was able to negotiate a broader late-testing policy so that more students could take AP make-up exams, and the Board passed this new policy unanimously.
Boys and Girls Club Sublease
The Board approved an extension of a sublease agreement between the Boys and Girls Club at Oak Crest Middle School and Cedar Cove Charter School by a vote of 3-1, with Trustee Katrina Young voting against the sublease. Cedar Cove, which serves elementary school children, has been a good tenant, operating without issues at this location all year, while benefitting these children, their families, and also the Boys and Girls Club and our District. Cancelling the lease would have put them on the street with a loss of revenue to the Boys and Girls Club and the District.
Adoption of Resolution Regarding New Trustee Area Map
In a surprising vote, the Board failed to pass a resolution regarding the new Trustee Area Map chosen by the County Board of Education that will be used for future elections of SDUHSD Trustees. It was recommended by both staff and legal counsel that the Board adopt this resolution. The resolution failed to pass due to a 2-2 vote, with Trustees Allman and Muir voting in favor, and Trustees Bronstein and Young voting against.
Not only did the resolution not pass, despite the recommendation of both staff and legal counsel, but neither Trustee Young nor Bronstein said one word of explanation why they voted against the resolution.
Kaplan College Preparation fails to gain Board support
The Board also failed to support enhanced college preparation services offered by the Kaplan Educational Group.
During this last year, the Kaplan Group provided free services to District students as a supplement to the services offered by our counselors. More than half of our college-bound families participated in seminars offered by the Kaplan Group, and they provided strong, positive reviews. Further, the Board did not receive a single complaint about having the Kaplan Group help families.
After listening to a presentation from Greg Kaplan, the Board discussed the prospect of engaging the Kaplan group to further enhance the college preparation offering for our students. The college admissions process is stressful and highly competitive, with no indication that this will change in the near future. Many families spend thousands of dollars on outside consultants to help them navigate this process and ensure that their child has the best possible chance of matriculating to the college or university of their choice. Those who cannot afford a consultant or gain access to one, can be left at a disadvantage. The Kaplan Group was a welcome lifeline and support to many in our community, but they can do more, and are eager to work with our District. This opportunity was rejected by Trustees Bronstein and Young. Trustee Young stated that she would not be in favor of engaging with the Kaplan Group if it would cost the District any money whatsoever, even a single dollar, but if they want to continue to offer their services for free, that would be okay.
Our objective is to provide the best education we can for our students given our financial constraints, and an important part of this is to prepare our college-bound students for success and help them gain acceptance to the best schools of their choice. To refuse to support the expansion of such a valuable program against the interest of our parents and students is disappointing.
Trustees Bronstein and Young supported their positions with two main arguments. “We have counselors”, and “We are a public school and should not be outsourcing services (unless they are offered for free by the vendor).”
This is not putting our students first. Our hardworking counselors are stretched thin, each trying to help 400 or more students with all of their counseling needs, not just college preparation. The Kaplan program would be a supplement to what our counselors can do, not a replacement.
When I pointed this out as an example of why voters need to assure that our Board has trustees who put the interests of parents and students first, Trustees Bronstein and Young got annoyed and stood up and walked off the dais. Because we must have three trustees present to continue with a meeting, this “busted the quorum” and forced the meeting into recess.
Trustees Bronstein and Young returned about ten minutes later, and the meeting resumed.
Special Board Meeting called for Sunday June 26, at 3:30pm
The meeting will be held at the San Dieguito Academy and will consist of closed-session items only.