February 21, 2012
Madera Unified superintendent Gustavo Balderas discussed the effect the state's budget proposal will have on the school district on Tuesday night during a Superintendent's Listening Session at Parkwood Elementary.
Click here to read more information about the district's budget situation or to view the presentation delivered Tuesday night.
More discussions on MUSD's budget and possible reductions will take place at the Feb. 28 and March 13 board meetings.
January 24, 2012
At a board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24, associate superintendent for business and operations Kelly Porterfield detailed the governor's state budget proposal and what it means for Madera Unified.
Earlier in January, California Governor Jerry Brown released his state budget proposal for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The proposal, and its impact on Madera Unified, was reviewed for the board Tuesday night by Kelly Porterfield, the district’s associate superintendent for business and operations.
Porterfield explained to the board that the governor’s proposal does make progress toward closing the state’s deficit, but the result is education being adversely impacted. A crucial component of Brown’s proposal are state tax initiatives that, if approved by California voters, would fund K-12 education.
The tax initiatives pose two problems for state school districts: (1) The passage of these initiatives cannot be counted upon from a budget-planning perspective; and (2) If the tax measure does appear on a voting ballot, it won’t be until November – eight months after school districts must issue layoff notices, and over four months after the beginning of the fiscal year.
As a result, education funding is very much in limbo, and school district must plan for a worst-case scenario. For MUSD, this scenario would result in a reduction of $370 per student, or approximately $7 million for next year.
Other highlights (or lowlights) from the governor’s budget proposal:
· The state is no longer funding home-to-school transportation or special education transportation. Districts may continue to provide transportation to students, but the encumbrance upon the general fund will increase.
· A state fiscal recovery is still not close to taking hold.
· The governor will revise his state budget proposal on May 14. It’s possible the proposal will differ significantly from what he just released in early January.
· MUSD will open negotiations with its collective bargaining units immediately to begin discussions with regard to mitigating any potential reductions.
January 6, 2012
California Governor Jerry Brown has unveiled his initial budget proposal for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
State school districts are currently reviewing the highlights of the proposal to ascertain what it means for K-12 education. In the coming weeks, more information about the budget proposal will become available.
For a recap of Governor Brown's budget proposal, please click here to be redirected to the Sacramento Bee's website.
December 13, 2011
The Madera Unified Board of Education has approved the district's first interim report for the fiscal year of 2011-12. To view this report, please click here.
The district stresses that the information contained in the first interim report will definitely change. Budget variables and assumptions are guaranteed to change, which will cause modifications when MUSD introduces its second interim report in March.
This week, California Governor Jerry Brown announced that while the state's "trigger cuts" will be pulled, they are not immediately expected to cut as deeply as first feared.
November 29, 2011
MUSD superintendent Gustavo Balderas on Nov. 29 held his second community "Listening Session," this one being held at MLK Middle School. The public forum allowed parents and Madera residents the chance to offer ideas to MUSD regarding possible future budget reductions.
For a recap of the Nov. 29 Listening Session, please click here.
November 16, 2011
The California's Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) released its annual five-year projection on the state's budget, with the outlook hinting there could be mid-year reductions. The LAO's announcement corroborates the information released yesterday (Nov. 15) by School Services of California.
November 15, 2011
School Services of California, one of the state's leading independent budget consultants to K-12 public education, announced today that because state revenues are falling below projections, California's budget deficit is forecasted to be $2 billion in mid-December.
According to the state's budget adopted in June, a $2 billion deficit in mid-December would automatically trigger mid-year reductions to K-12 education.
There is still time for the state's revenues to pick up before mid-December. A good holiday spending season, for example, could make the state's economic situation a little better.
November 7, 2011
The Madera Unified School District is currently in the midst of establishing its budget assumptions and priorities for the 2012-13 school year. This is a process that will continue through the end of June, at which time the district’s budget must be approved by the board.
On Nov. 29, MUSD will host its second “Listening Session,” at which the Madera community will have the opportunity to provide its input on priorities heading into the formation of the 2012-13 budget.
The Nov. 29 Listening Session will be held at MLK Middle School (601 Lilly Street) and will begin at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
As the district and community progress through the budget formation cycle, more information will be continually added to this page. If you have a question or would like to offer input, please click here to send MUSD an e-mail.
Last Modified on February 15, 2011