Williams schools wait on state before cuts

Predicting next year's education funding is like predicting the future with a crystal ball, according to Williams school officials.

Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had promised the same level of funding for education next year, the reality of a $20 billion state budget deficit and a continued economic recession has school administrators fearing the worst.

"We just don't know what's in store for us," said Judith Rossi, superintended of Williams Unified School District. "It's likely that we will lose money from now on."

Rossi joined about 300 school administrators from across the state to take their personal stories to the Capitol on Monday.

The face-to-face meeting with legislators offered state lawmakers a better understanding of the real-life implications of how $17 billion in cuts over the past two years have affected schools districts.

"Usually administrators are too busy educating children to make our voices heard," Rossi said. "But we were able to talk to legislators about the impacts of funding cuts."

Rossi said she met with Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber.

The position school administrators have taken toward any further cuts to education is one of the state reneging on the promise they made to students in July — at the same time requiring schools and students to do more.

Williams schools has the highest academic performance scores in the county, Rossi said, and any future cuts could have serious impacts on the quality of education.

"We have been trying different budget scenarios using different numbers," Rossi said. "What we don't want to do is lose staff."

Williams school officials didn't notify any of its teachers that their jobs were in jeopardy by Monday's layoff deadline, but even that could change.

Rossi said state legislators may overturn the notice requirements, so if the state does cut next year's education funding significantly, it would allow school districts to make layoff teachers to balance the budgets.

Williams schools are bracing for a $225 per student reduction next year in its 1,200-student district, which amounts to about $270,000, Rossi said.

Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had proposed a measure to swap the state's gasoline tax with an excise tax that would have redirected about $1.1 billion toward the General Fund to help maintain education funding, the proposal unraveled after lawmakers presented the governor with a bill that would maintain public transportation funding by retaining the tax on diesel fuel.

In a letter to legislative leaders Monday night, the governor blasted the legislature for failing to give him a bill he could sign.

"I asked you to exchange the sales tax for an excise tax on gasoline in a way that lowered costs for consumers by $1 billion and preserved general fund dollars to avoid major cuts to vital programs," the governor said in his March 15 letter. "Instead, you are sending me a bill that provides no tax relief to consumers at the pump and raises taxes on commuter rail services."

Meanwhile, Williams school officials, like Colusa's, are looking at cutting spending that will have the least impact on students, such as managing printing and coping costs, going to a digital phone management system and conserving energy.

"We're using technology in the smartest way possible," Rossi said.

Meanwhile, California educators have united with labor and business partners on a 48-day march through the Central Valley, from Bakersfield to Sacramento, in an effort to reclaim what they say was a promise of quality public education.

At the same time, Rossi is encouraging parents to contact their legislators and urge them to maintain, if not, restore public education funding.

The California Federation of Teachers organized the 48-day march, which will end with a rally at the State Capitol on April 21.

Along the way, educators will be picking up signatures to put the Majority Vote measure on the November ballot.

The measure would eliminate California's two-thirds supermajority (67 percent) requirement to pass a state budget.

The measure also proposes taking away legislators' salaries and expenses for every day the budget is late.