MDUSD Second Interim Budget Update

Mt. Diablo USD News Update

Where Kids Come First

March 11, 2010

Second Interim Budget Update

The Second Interim Budget must be adopted by a school Board by March 15 and then must be provided to the County Office of Education for its review and approval of assumptions.  In general, the purpose of the Second Interim Budget is to:

• Verify the District is on track to meet the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) assumptions that were built into the original budget;
• Ensure that cost assumptions (i.e. fuel, electricity, health benefit, etc.) are on track with actual increases;
• Address any mid-year cuts to funding;
• Begin to incorporate the Governor’s January Budget proposal assumptions into the multiple year projections and demonstrate districts will have a positive ending balance three years out.

This year’s Second Interim Budget is particularly challenging because all districts in the County have been directed to assume the Governor’s Budget proposal does not move forward and we receive a minimum reduction of $350 per pupil.  However, there have been estimates that districts could expect cuts up to $780 per pupil.

In March 2010, the Board directed staff to negotiate with our various bargaining units: a cap on health benefits; prorated health benefit contributions; and furlough days.  Without these negotiated reductions and with the $350 per pupil reduction, the District will have a negative ending balance at the end of the2012-13 school year of approximately $27 million.  With a health benefit cap, proration of health benefit contributions, and furlough days of 3-7-7 (three days this year and seven the next two years) included in the Second Interim, we will have a negative ending balance of approximately $4 million at the end of the 2012-13 school year.  Therefore, in order to certify “positive” for the Second Interim Budget we would need to only identify approximately $4 million in additional reductions. 

Given the current uncertainty around the State budget, staff recommends that the Board approve the following reductions, and submit the entire reduction list (which can be found at http://esb.mdusd.k12.ca.us/attachments/0556e5d2-c38d-43b8-b058-0dde273df9e0.pdf ) with the Second Interim Budget as possible future reductions that may need to be made if the Governor’s Budget proposal is not implemented.

1. Sweep all of the following Tier III flexibility categorical carryover budgets:  CAHSEE Intervention, Instructional Materials Realignment, SB 472 Teacher Professional Development, Targeted Instructional Improvement Block funds, one-time Adult Education funds, freeze spending and transfer remaining Tier III flexibility carryover accounts.  This will amount to $3,380,598 in one time reductions.
2. Sweep all the remaining Tier III flexibility funding for Gifted and Talented Education programs.  This will allow us to leave the School Library Improvement Block Grant (SLIBG) funds that each site receives intact.  The SLIBG comprises the site discretionary budgets and provide schools with the greatest flexibility in expenditures.  Sweeping the GATE funds would amount to an annual savings of $221,272.
3. Reduce funding for Speech Contracts by $600,000.  This savings has been created because we have hired our own Speech Therapists instead of having to contract out with private providers.  This will be an on-going savings.
4. Reduce funding for Occupational Therapy contracts by $52,560 due to the decreased need in services.

The savings from the above-identified list will allow the District to have a positive ending fund balance at the end of the 2012-13 school year and certify positive.  We will need to closely monitor the State budget process.  If the Governor’s request for a June ballot does not come to fruition, we will need to identify other items on the list for future implementation.  Also, because we have identified $3,380,598 in one-time reductions in order to create a balanced Second Interim Budget, we will need to identify on-going reductions in the 2013-14 school year to be included in the budget the Board will adopt in June for the 2011-12 school year.

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MDUSDParents Note:

There is a Budget Advisory Committee meeting taking place on Thursday, March 17th at 5pm in the Dent Center Board Room.  There are appointed members of this committee, but as far as I know , all district business is open to the public.  Great opportunity to hear details of this latest budget update.

MDUSD Budget Situation- Update #2 - (2/28/11)

This is the second part of a two part budget update.  

Part one was posted on this blog 3 weeks ago, and can be read here from 2/8/11.

* * * * *

Mt. Diablo USD News Update

Where Kids Come First

Governor’s Budget Proposal and Impact on MDUSD

The information for this News Update was gathered from:

1. A budget presentation made by State Senator Mark DeSaulnier and State Treasurer Bill Lockyer on Wednesday, February 23, 2011.
2. A February 7, 2011, article by the Legislative Analysis Office entitled Update on School District Finance in California.  The article can be found at: http://www.lao.ca.gov/analysis/2011/education/ed_survey_two_020711.aspx .
3. California County Superintendents Educational Services Association’s (CCSESA) paper entitled:  Basic District Fiscal Oversight Common Message Background and Advice to County Office of Education CBOs 2010-11 Second Interim Report and Related MYPS, February 9, 2011.  This paper is posted on our website at: http://www.mdusd.org/Departments/Fiscal/Documents/Website%20-CommonMessage020911%20BASC%20CCSESA-02-25-11.pdf .
4. A memo from Bill Clark, Associate Superintendent, Business Services Contra Costa County Office of Education outlining the Second Interim Guidance 2010-11.  The memo is posted on our website at:  http://www.mdusd.org/Departments/Fiscal/Documents/Website%20081%20Second%20Interim%20Guidance-02-25-11.pdf .

According to the above-referenced CCSESA paper:

Governor Brown has acknowledged that education has been the only major program that has taken disproportionate budget reductions since 2007-08. Therefore, he committed to protect education by proposing flat funding for education for 2011-12. However, flat funding really results in about a $19 annual per pupil reduction.

The 2011-12 Governor’s Proposed Budget was submitted with an estimated 18-month budget shortfall of $25.4 billion, comprised of an $8.2 billion shortfall in 2010-11 and a $17.2 billion shortfall in 2011-12. The Governor’s proposal addresses the shortfall in three ways: (1) reducing expenditures by $12.5 billion over two years (2010-11 and 2011-12); (2) enhancing revenue by $12 billion over the same two-year period to be achieved through a June ballot measure to extend the temporary taxes enacted in 2009-10 by five years (.25 percent surcharge on income tax, 1 percent increase in the sales tax, .5 percent increase in the vehicle license fee); and (3) borrowing $1.9 billion from special funds and other one-time measures.

The success of this proposal largely depends on a two thirds bipartisan legislative approval to place the tax extension measure on the ballot and then on a majority of the voters approving the tax extension. Additionally, the Legislature would have to agree to expenditure reductions similar to ones that they have rejected in prior years. Part of the Governor’s strategy is a proposal to realign or to shift responsibility of many programs along with the revenue sources to local governments. This shift would include using one-time Proposition 63 funds of $861 million to fund community mental health services. Clearly, there are many challenges ahead for the Governor and the Legislature to balance this budget.

If all of the Governor’s strategies are enacted, then the total K-14 Proposition 98 funding would be $49.3 billion, slightly less than the 2010-11 level of $49.7 billion.  This would amount to a reduction of approximately $600,000 for our District. 

Another major impact for education in the Governor’s proposal is the deferral of several apportionments.  School districts are not paid in one lump sum at the beginning of the year.  We receive incremental payments (apportionments) throughout the fiscal year from July through June.  In the Budget Proposal, the Governor recommends delaying our payments for April, May, and June until July 2011, which is in the next fiscal year, and then delaying the July 2011 payment until July 2012, again another fiscal year.  In essence, this will delay $25 million in payments from this school year by 12-15 months to the beginning of the 2012-13 fiscal year.  Basically, the State is taking their cash flow crisis and making the school districts deal with it by deferring our payments.

How will the District deal with this cash flow issue in order to pay employees and keep our schools running?  In order to deal with these deferrals in payments, the District will have to go out for a short-term loan called a Tax Revenue Anticipation Note (TRAN).  Basically, a TRAN allows a school district to borrow money for up to 12 months and then pay back the loan when the deferrals come in.  Since school districts are being delayed payments for a total of 15 months we may have to go out for two TRANs because one will not be long enough to cover the deferrals that are being recommended.  Bottom line is we will have to secure short term loans which will cost us thousands of dollars in issuance costs and interest.

The big unknown is whether or not the Governor’s revenue proposals will be put on a June ballot and whether or not they will pass.  If either doesn’t happen, the minimum school funding guarantee under Proposition 98 would drop by an additional $350 per student annually.  However, due to other constraints on the State’s budget, it is projected that Proposition 98 will be suspended and that education would be cut by additional billions of dollars which would translate into a reduction of between $650 and $1200 per pupil annually.  This would mean a reduction between $21 million and over $35 million annually for the District.  At their presentation on Wednesday, February, 23, Senator DeSaulnier and Treasurer Lockyer both stated there was a 50-50 chance that the tax extensions would garner the Legislative two-thirds support necessary to put them on a June ballot.

In a letter from the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE), we are being directed to submit a Second Interim Budget in March that uses the assumptions that the tax extension fails and assumes a loss of $350 per student.  This would amount to a reduction of approximately $11.5 million.  The letter goes on to say that given the risk outlined in the Legislative Analysis Office analysis of the budget, the CCCOE “recommends that districts set aside an additional reserve equal or plan for approximately $300 per ADA in addition to the $350 reduction outlined above.”  This will amount in the District either identifying an additional reserve of approximately $9.8 million or making cuts that total $21.3 million ($11.5 M + $9.8M).  This would be equivalent to subtracting 25 days from the school year and starting the school year on approximately October 1^st. 

What can our community do to help ensure that we do not have to reduce our budget by an additional $21.3 million?

1. Work to ensure that the Legislature approves placing the tax extensions on a June ballot.
2. Work to ensure that all community members thoroughly understand the negative implications for our children’s education if the tax extensions do not occur.
3. Work to ensure that every parent with a child in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District participates in the democratic process that we hope will occur in June.

At a Board workshop on Tuesday, March 1, the Board will discuss the ramifications of the budget reductions outlined above and review potential reductions to be included in the Second Interim budget.  The Board workshop will be held in the Board room at the District Office and begin at approximately 6:15 p.m.  The Board will then adopt the Second Interim budget at the regularly scheduled Board meeting on March 15.

Budget Situation in the MDUSD 2/8/11

Tonight's meeting will likely prove to be quite volatile.  The board may, or may not, choose to vote on an option tonight.  But it's a big decision.  Schools closed within the district over 30 years ago were never reopened, so it is with a great amount of thought, the board will be making the best decision they can.  I don't envy them in this position.

Below is a Budget Article put out by the district today.  It's meant as an education piece and hope you find it useful:

Mt. Diablo USD News Update

Where Kids Come First

February 8, 2011

Given recent news articles around our District’s budget and the dire State budget projections, we have decided to send out two newsletters about our budget situation.  The first article will focus on the status of our current budget.  The second article will focus on how the Governor’s budget proposal will affect our District.

The State Budget Crisis

The following two links to articles from EdSource provide a thorough overview of the State budget crisis and how it has impacted education funding in the State:

http://www.edsource.org/pub11-school-finance-highlights.html

http://www.edsource.org/pub10-challenging-times.html

District Budget Crisis

The District budget crisis has been acutely affected by the following conditions:

1. As cited in the EdSource January 11, 2011, publication, K-12 education funding has been reduced 10% between the 2007-08 school year and the 2010-11 school year.

2. During the same time period, the District’s health care premiums have increased 31.19%, amounting to an additional $7.1 million.

3. Over the same period, student enrollment has declined by 1,000 students which amounts to a revenue reduction of over $5 million each year.  Unfortunately, we can not reduce staff commensurate with declining enrollment.  For example, if all of the student enrollment reductions came from two or three schools in the District, cost savings could be more easily achieved by concentrating staff reductions on just those campuses.  However, the loss of these 1,000 students has been spread throughout the District, making it impossible to keep expenditure cuts away from the classroom.

  

4. Every year, our costs increase due to inflation and employees receiving step and/or column salary increases.  For inflationary increases we use the Consumer Price Index to estimate the increase in the costs of goods and services.  Our negotiated salary schedules for certificated positions are based on the number of years of experience (step) and level of education (column).  For classified and management positions the salary schedules are based on job type and years of experience.  For step and column increases, we annually budget a 1.5% increase to our salary budget.

 

5. In the 2010-2011 State budget, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed AB3632 mental health funding.  The prior link to a January 11, 2011, EdSource article provides a concise overview of AB3632.  The Governor’s veto will cause the District to assume approximately $4.8 million in additional costs to provide mental health services.  Because the cut was mid-year this school year we may need to absorb $2.4 million in costs.  The District cannot legally eliminate these programs without jeopardizing federal funding we receive for all our Special Education students.  Governor Brown’s 2011-2012 State budget proposal reinstates these mental health funds for the 2011-2012 school year using Proposition 63 (Mental Health Services) funds, and he proposes a dedicated funding source in subsequent years if the continuation of the revenue enhancement is approved by the voters. However, this proposal does not resolve the funding problem for the current year, and Prop 63 supporters are challenging the use of those funds for AB3632 purposes. Therefore, it is very unclear whether AB3632 funding will actually be reinstated. 

So, what do these conditions mean for the District in real dollars?  Over the past several years, our revenue has decreased by $20 million while our costs have increased by the same amount.  Therefore, in order to create a balanced budget we needed to reduce our on-going budgets by $40 million.  To date, we have reduced expenses by approximately $25 million.  In order to avoid completely eliminating vital educational programs and to minimize staff reductions, we have used one-time federal funds, utilized the Tier III flexibility to transfer specific categorical revenues, and have been spending down our reserves.  Under current budget assumptions we are spending $11 million more than we receive in on-going revenues.  Legally, we have to maintain a minimum reserve of two percent.  Currently, we have $12 million reserves above the two percent requirement.  Under our current budget assumptions we will have less than $2 million in additional reserves by the end of next year, and have a projected negative ending balance of $11.6 million at the end of the 2012-13 school year.  This would completely deplete our mandatory two percent reserves and put the District in State control.

We are frequently asked whether we can eliminate more central office administrators and employees.  Over the past three years, we have eliminated approximately 20% of non-school based positions. To provide more perspective on the extent of these reductions in the 2000-2001 school year the District had 5.19 administrators per 100 teachers.  In the 2009-2010 school year, we had 4.12 administrators per 100 teachers.  This puts us almost fifty percent below the State approved rate of 8 administrators per 100 teachers.

We are currently negotiating with all of our associations in order to achieve a balanced budget.  To date, administrators have accepted a benefit cap at the 2010 Kaiser rates for current employees, a benefit for anyone who retires after June 30, 2011, prorated benefits for part-time administrators, and furlough days over the next several years.  We are asking our other associations for similar benefit and furlough day concessions. 

The next article in this series will focus on the Governor’s proposed 2011-2012 budget and the implications for the District’s budgeting process.

6.5 million in fed jobs bill $$ to MDUSD salaries

According to the Times today, Contra Costa school districts struggle to stay afloat, Teresa Harrington tells us that the MDUSD will likely use the 6.5 million dollars from the Federal Jobs Act to pay a portion of employee salaries and benefits.  This money would normally be paid from the general fund per Brian Richards, our district's CFO.

The article provides some more detail about this expenditure, as well as the requirements (per the County's conditional approval of the MDUSD 2010-11 budget) that districts, including MDUSD, create a "fiscal recovery plan" and revised three year projections by December 15th.

I don't know what would be happening right now if this 6.5 million was not available?  Does anyone know?

Within the article:

Five Contra Costa County school districts are struggling to stay fiscally solvent in the next three years as they grapple with state budget cuts, declining enrollment and failed tax measures.

"We're advising districts that they need to conserve their cash," said Peggy Marshburn, spokeswoman for the Contra Costa County Office of Education. "The budget picture at the state level is much more bleak" than anticipated.

Going from bad to worse...  how much further can we go?

MDUSD may run out of cash? Will their positive certification be questioned?

Very interesting article by Theresa Harrington: Mt. Diablo District is running out of cash .

Certainly worth a read, it seems the Superintendent's warning of a possible State takeover in the future may have some real merit beyond "just" the MDEA negotiating angle.

Theresa reports that MDUSD borrowed money this year in order to cover it's cash requirements in a loan called a "TRANS." From the Times article:

“If they had to do a mid-year TRANS and they’re running out of cash, that’s one of the most telling indicators that they’re in financial trouble,” Clark said. “A mid-year TRANS is very new. Short-term borrowing is common in the fall or spring, but to borrow at the end of the fiscal year is not a common event.”

The John Swett district, he said, is in even more dire straits.

Still, the Mt. Diablo district filed a “positive” certification with its second-interim budget through Jan. 31, which assumed approximately $9.8 million in 2009-10 and subsequent year reductions that require labor negotiations, according to a letter the Clark wrote to Board President Paul Strange in April.

“It is our understanding that these assumed reductions may not materialize due to little or no progress with negotiations,” Clark wrote. “Our office would question the district’s positive certification should the district fail to meet targeted reductions.”

Board Meeting March 9th - Agenda

Some very important items on the agenda this time around, including:

BUDGET CUTS - see agenda item for spreadsheets and supporting data in order to cut over 15 million dollars annually. Includes district wide support staff, special ed cuts, change of high school graduation requirements, more.

The Second Interim Report will be discussed.

14.4 Resolution ordering an election to authorize up to $348 million of General Obligation Bonds and establish specifications of the election order. Resolution PDF

Parent Involvement Policy Revisions

Certificated lay-offs / Agenda Item

Elimination of PM custodians at Diablo View Middle currently funded by City of Clayton

Roll over (through 2013) of current collective bargaining agreement with MDEA. Agenda

Special MDUSD Board Meeting - Ballooning Budget Cuts

Special School Board Meeting

As a result of the Governor’s budget proposal, the projected deficit in the school district ending balance as of June 2012 has grown from $17 million to $35 million. In consequence, we will need to make additional reductions to our expenditure budget.

The Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting on Wednesday, January 20, at 7pm at the Dent Education Center, 1936 Carlotta Drive in Concord.

The purpose of the meeting is to solicit public input on the additional cuts that will need to be made. Staff will present a brief review of the budget, but the majority of the meeting will be spent listening to parents and community members regarding budget reductions.

This is a very important meeting, and I hope you will be able to attend.

Dick Nicoll
Interim Superintendent

$12 million dollar budget reduction list for Tuesday, June 16th

Here we go again, with a goal of $12 million to be slashed Tuesday night, here is a partial list of "big ticket items" on the chopping block, as noted on the agenda for the evening (for budget reductions start at page 159):

Reduce home to school transportation by 11 Bus Driver positions and (1) clerical position. Eliminate all home to school transportation except in the Bay Point/Pittsburg area. Continue NCLB and home to school bussing. Work with County Connection to try to reestablish routes. (Per the CCTimes: "Nicoll said cutting buses for hundreds of children in the Crossings and Crystyl Ranch areas of Concord could be controversial." )

Eliminate one member of the Superintendent's Council. There would need to be a reorganization of duties among senior staff (starting in 2010-2011).

Eliminate administrative assistant for one member of the Superintendent's Council (2010-2011).

Eliminate one Senior General Maintenence Worker.

Eliminate Director of Purchasing.

Delay transfer of Meals for Needy Funds to Food and Nutrition Services. District has been transferring funds from Meals for Needy to Food Services. This would reduce the transfer by $100,000.

Additional reductions to Tier 3 programs. To be determined - this one item alone = $2.3 million dollars. What will it be? I have heard that cuts from this category will be considered on June 30th. Hopefully we'll have a list of what these will be before then. Perhaps a board member will give us more information on this one.


If you're interested in seeing the recommended athletics funding plan, then start at page 170 on the AGENDA.

New Article by Theresa Harrington at the Contra Costa Times: Mt. Diablo school board expects to cut $12 million more from three-year budget, bringing total cuts to $43 million

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How will you help our ailing MDUSD schools?

There has been a seemingly never ending assault on our schools here in the MDUSD. With the failure of Measure D and the continued failure of our state to put kids and education first, it just gets worse every time we look. Next up, $12 million more will be slashed from our budget at next Tuesday night's board meeting. So what can you do?


The district wants you to donate your $99 that otherwise may have gone to Measure D, to them. I think it is a very interesting idea. This giving campaign, started by Ygnacio Valley High parent, Teresa Torbett and introduced at the board meeting on June 2nd, resulted in over $2,700 in contributions that same night. You can read more about Teresa's effort HERE . I applaud Teresa's efforts. We need more grassroots thinkers out there, as we are left in a position of having to scramble for support and lost programs. With proactive, visionary parents like Teresa out there, we will get there. She was also featured on a recent episode of Channel 7's "Beyond the Headlines" discussing the ground level efforts within our district and at our schools. She also discussed more locally the Ygnacio Valley /YVHS Community Action Group

Next up, the parcel tax may be re-introduced to the ballot in November. Hopefully the community will realize that every single vote counts. Though Measure D got the majority vote, in this instance, the minority ruled. It is not acceptable. The cuts made in the last few weeks, and surely the next ones coming, will be felt by all within this district come August when school begins again. No VP's, larger class sizes, no sports, no elementary music, reduced library services and more. Every student will feel these cuts.

Then, we have individual schools ramping up their fundraising efforts. Some with specific goals for the summer in order to supplement their programs come fall. Strandwood started by asking families to donate the $100 that would've otherwise gone to Measure D, direct to the school. Their goal is to raise over $56,000 this summer. Bancroft Elementary also started a $1 a day campaign and in just over a week brought in over $36,000. These schools and others were featured in a CCTimes Article today. These schools are looking to fund programs and assistants to aide in their growing classrooms. The impact of grades 1-3 going from 20 students to 31 will be profound. Some of these fundraising efforts are geared directly at providing an aide for each classroom come fall.

Personally, I'd like to see the individual school communities create a needs list (i.e. aides) and then create a campaign to help support that. Whether it be a $1 a day, or the flat $100, it will go a long way if EACH family contributes. I worry the district's fundraising campaign will not come close to the funds needed to restore any programs. I further worry that these monies will be considered "one time" money. Just as the district could not use the stimulus money to restore ongoing programs and positions, it seems too this same restriction would hamper the district from using any of these donations to restore anything "we" at the school levels will feel. I hope that if I'm wrong, one of the board members will correct me.

But for now, my advocacy would go toward the individual school sites to support their own needs. It is now that, we have been forced to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, we must all pitch in and give to our schools. If your school is having a fundraising drive, advertise it to your community, not only school families benefit from good schools.

Ready to see what 28 million in MDUSD cuts looks like?

Well, according to this morning's post at http://www.mdusd.net/ - it looks like we'll find out by June 2nd. To submit a balanced 3 year budget by June 30th, our school board is getting right to work. Projections are now that they will need to cut 28 million dollars from the MDUSD budget in the next 3 years. They will be working on the list of cuts at the June 2nd board meeting. So stay tuned to see what will be on the list.

Read more: NOW WHAT?

Measure D Newsletter - lawn signs, volunteers and more

From the Community United for Excellent Schools:


View newsletter in browser

Hi Measure D Supporters,

Just 57 days left until the May 19th election. Please read through this entire newsletter for important information about the campaign.

Endorsements
Last week was a big week for the campaign. Several groups including, the Central Labor Council, Contra Costa County Building & Constructions Trade Council, the Contra Costa Democratic Party, League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley, Diablo Valley Democratic Club, and the Northgate PFC endorsed Measure D.

Site Captains
Last week was also our very first meeting of site captains. Thank you to everyone that came. We had over 50 teachers and parents coming together to show their enthusiasm and energy for this campaign. We discussed what the role of a site captain is, outlined the campaign, and answered questions about Measure D. Site captains will be calling volunteers this week to begin mobilizing. It was a great showing and demonstrated the strength of our grassroots efforts and the incredible amount of support Measure D has.

We now have a total of 71 site captains, however some schools are still without one. Here is the list of schools still needing site captains. ( ) notes number of volunteers signed up.

• Cornerstone (0) Silverwood(0)
• Fair Oaks (4) Sun Terrace (0)
• Highlands (13) Valley Verde (3)
• Holbrook (0) Wren Avenue (0)
• Meadow Homes (2) Diablo View (11)
• Shadelands Center (0) Adult Education(0)

We need to fill these campuses ASAP. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please contact me at rudy@protectourlocalschools.org

Volunteer Needs
Office Staff
We need a staff of volunteers at the campaign office at 2280 Diamond Blvd suite 350 Concord. There are two shifts: 11:30am – 2:30pm and 2:30pm - 5:30pm. Or stay as short or as long as you would like. I will send out a google calendar for volunteers to sign up.

School Board Meeting
We need a table of several volunteers to handout information and signup sheets for the campaign outside of the board meeting tomorrow night. Tuesday 3/24/09 7:00pm Monte Gardens Elementary. Additionally we would like a few site captains to speak at the meeting about campaign needs and volunteer support. Please contact me for details.

Lawn Signs
Lawn signs will be here next Wednesday. We’ve got 2,500 signs. Site captains will be responsible for handing off bundles of signs to their volunteers to distribute. More details to come shortly. We were unable to afford the 5,000 signs we had originally budgeted for, so we’ll initially be focusing our sign distribution in areas where we need the highest visibility.

Contributions
The campaign can continue only through your support both in the field and in funding. With additional contributions we can get more lawn signs and communicate with more voters. No amount is too small or too large. You can contribute online by visiting http://www.protectourlocalschools.org/. Or, mail a check payable to CUES at 2280 Diamond Blvd., Suite 350, Concord, CA 94520.

Once again thank you to all of you who have been working hard for Measure D. Your efforts are the driving force behind this campaign. Feel free to contact with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Rudy Ramirez
Campaign Manager
Yes On Measure D
(925) 202-3178

rudy@protectourlocalschools.org
http://www.protectourlocalschools.org/


Paid for by Community United for Excellent Schools, a coalition of teachers, parents, elected and community leaders who support reliable local funding for Mt. Diablo Unified School District FPPC #1301210

ProtectOurLocalSchools

Measure D Newsletter - what can you do to help?

Hi Measure D Supporters,

Thank you for your support of Measure D to protect our local schools against the continuing barrage of state budget cuts that is devastating the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. My name is Rudy Ramirez and I am the campaign manager for Measure D. I will be managing the day-to-day operations of the campaign, including coordinating all of our volunteers.

We have a real challenge ahead of us to capture the difficult 2/3rds voter support necessary to pass Measure D. And we don't have much time. Our campaign will be successful as long as we have active volunteers from the MDUSD school family, including our parents, teachers and other District employees and our community supporters.

I will send out this email every Monday to keep you and all our other volunteers informed about what the campaign is doing, our progress, what we've got coming up and how you can get involved. You can also visit www.ProtectOurLocalSchools.org to get information.

Where Are We with the Campaign?

The Campaign for Measure D is led by Community United for Excellent Schools (CUES) and is comprised of a highly energetic and active group of board members, administrators, teachers, and parents, all of which have led to an excellent beginning for the campaign. Among the actions we have already taken:

Organized committees to secure campaign endorsements, raise contributions, and conduct voter outreach.

Submitted a primary argument as well as a rebuttal argument that will appear on the voter guide provided by Contra Costa County.

Opened a campaign headquarters at 2280 Diamond Blvd, Suite 350, Concord. James Busby of Security Owners Corporation generously donated the space, which was furnished by the United Democratic Committee of Contra Costa. Thanks to the volunteers who helped get our office up and running. I encourage you stop by and visit. Our office hours are from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

What Can You Do to Help?

Volunteer. We badly need more volunteers for our voter outreach, which in coming weeks will involve phoning voters and walking neighborhoods to encourage voters to cast their ballot for Measure D. This will be one of our most important tools in passing Measure D.

We need site captains for each school who will recruit and manage volunteers for phoning and walking. You can have more than one site captain for each school. Time commitment will be 4-6 hours a week, primarily in evenings and weekends.

We will hold an informational meeting for site captains - or those considering it - on Wednesday March 18th 6:30pm at the Measure D headquarters. For information, call me at 925-202-3178. We'll have pizza and drinks.

Schools Needing Site Captains

Bel Air
Eagle Peak Montessori
El Monte
Fair Oaks
Gregory Gardens
Hidden Valley
Highlands
Holbrook
Meadow Homes
Monte Gardens
Mountain View
Pleasant Hill
Rio Vista
Robert Shearer
Silverwood
Strandwood
Sun Terrace
Sunrise
Valhalla
Valley Verde
Westwood
Wren Avenue
Ygnacio Valley
Diablo View
El Dorado
Foothill
Clayton Valley
Concord High
Northgate
Ygnacio Valley

Headquarters supplies. The campaign is in need of spare computers and office supplies. Please contact me if you or anyone you know can help with this.

Headquarters staff. We need a few volunteers to staff the HQ during the week and weekends for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. No special skills required. Need a friendly, upbeat attitude. If you speak Spanish, even better.

Staffing events. There are many school and community events where we can communicate with voters about Measure D (see list below). We need volunteers to staff tables, talk with voters and answer their questions, and hand out fact sheets, endorsement forms and any other literature. This is an excellent way to get involved.

Webpage Help. We need a Webmaster ASAP!! We already have a webpage up and running, just need someone for updating.

Thank you once again to everyone for your continued support of Measure D and the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns. Together we can continue to make MDUSD a great place to learn and interact.

Rudy Ramirez
Campaign Manager
(925) 202-3178

www.ProtectOurLocalSchools.org