State's trigger cuts affect South County school districts

On Tuesday, Governor Jerry Brown said that $1 billion in educational trigger cuts will go into effect January 1.

Locally, many of the school districts are faced with an increase in their transportation budget.

“We will go about our normal budget planning process and the loss of transportation money will just encroach on the reserves more than they already do,” said Tim Azevedo, superintendent of the Anderson Union High School District.

In an email to the Valley Post, Cascade Union Elementary School District Interim-superintendent Harley North said his district is estimating a loss of $185,000 due to the triggers.

“Transportation will take the biggest hit of (an estimated) $164,000 and the district is already supporting transportation out of general fund money to the tune of $70,000. The district did prepare for the cuts and we will get through the year,” stated North.

Aside from cuts to transportation, districts were also given the option of shortening the school year to help districts absorb budget impacts. However, Azevedo said this isn’t really an option.

“Our kids go to school 180 school days, which is a standard year. The Governor’s announcement today (Tuesday) allows districts to reduce another half of one day for a total of five and one half days of total reduction,” said Azevedo.

“Regardless of what Sacramento proclaims, the reductions in numbers of school days still must be negotiated with the local unions, and we have not begun that process for this year yet,” explained Azevedo.

Both superintendents expressed their frustration with politics in Sacramento.

“The long term is that, as the old saying goes, we are going to die from a thousand cuts and not by one big one. The cuts keep coming and each one affects our schools ability to offer a quality education to our student,” said North.

Azevedo added, “Sacramento has once again demonstrated their disconnect with the reality of running school districts, while holding us accountable for everything and themselves accountable for nothing.”