Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Budget cuts for tonight in plain english

So , tonight the board is voting on the final cuts to the "LAST" round of budget cuts. There is going to be a NEXT round of cuts thanks to Sacramento and our new California budget. You can always read the agenda's online at the http://www.mdusd.org/ site. But here is what is being considered for elimination tonight:

Board agendas

Item
17 - Reduce 1 of 2 PM custodians at 3 elementary schools (eliminate 3 positions)
88- Eliminate Director of Maintenance and Operations
89- Shift funding of Asst Director of Student Services/Special Ed to categorical programs
90- Reduce Administrative Services legal budget by $150,000
91- Reduce copy machine budget by $30,000
92- Reduce telephone budget by $30,000
93- Reduce elementary education budget by $10,000
94- Reduce secondary education budget by $20,000
95- Reduce fiscal services contracted services budget by $55,540

Remember they can vote on any other item on the cut list even if it is not included in their agenda

Knowing that many will be worried about losing services at their schools (i.e. custodians) the MDUSD site run by Paul Strange and Gary Eberhart has posted a new topic today - take a look - and get involved today with the parcel tax. You'll see that tonight is just ending the last round of cuts, and the next 8 million is going to devastate us as a district. It will include music, sports, VP's - who knows what's next - library? class size reduction? I don't know , but they are working on their agenda and proposed cut list for the next board meeting on March 3rd, so stay tuned for that bad news. But read up at http://www.mdusd.net/: HOW BAD IS IT?

1 comment:

  1. With all these drastic cuts that affect our children's education and experience at school, we should ask whether any superintendent positions or salaries have been cut. Superintendents don't motive our children to better themselves, they aren't role models to children who come from disfunctional or broken homes, and they certainly don't educate our children. With all the programs being cut, do we really need the same number of superintendents and assistants who serve them?

    Programs that benefit our children should be the last thing cut. School is all about our children and, as parents, we should demand to see everything in MDUSD's budget and not simply rely on what the superintendents and board tell us. We need to demand some transparency--who does what and how much does it cost the school district would be a good place to start.

    I am not willing to settle for 49 out of 50 in education. That is a crime for a state like California. I suggest that we join together and plan a time to take our kids out of school in protest. We need to speak to them in language they will understand.

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