CUSD Update

This blog formerly published summaries of school board meetings written by a Capo parent. She hasn’t sent a summary lately, and she says the meetings are too depressing to describe.

The Mar. 14 OC Register’s front-page article is about Orange County school districts turning to furloughs to cut costs. Among county districts that have cut the most, CUSD ranked No. 4, reducing the 2009-10 budget by $25.5 million.

How can school districts consider furloughs and still meet state requirements of 180 days in a school year? The number was recently reduced by the state legislature to 175 days. The Irvine school district was among the first to cut instructional days to 175. Some parents reacted by saying districts are caving in to union demands by cutting education time for the sake of retaining teachers’ salaries and tenure.

The Mar. 14 OCR article summarized CUSD’s standoff with the union: “Capistrano Unified School District’s trustees and teachers union remain locked in an ideological battle over how to close a $34-million deficit. The union has offered to take a one-year cut in the form of seven furlough days through June 2011, while trustees insist on permanent, 10-percent pay cuts. Both sides are preparing for a possible strike.”

CUSD teachers had voted informally and said they’d be willing to strike if the trustees decide on the 10-percent pay cut. The district is awaiting the release of an independent fact-finder’s report in the ongoing negotiations.

In CUSD, 320 teachers are getting pink slips, although they can be called back to work. During the board meeting last week, a district financial advisor warned that reserves are approximately $230,000 above the state-mandated minimum.

As another topic on the board’s agenda last week, the building project continues at the new high school in San Juan Capistrano (San Juan Hills High School). SJHHS parents want their swimming pool.