The Board of Education on Tuesday night approved the first interim report on the 2008-09 budget and multi-year projections. Chief Business Officer Ted Hood reminded the Board that New Haven -- along with every other district in the state -- once again this year was forced to adopt a budget without knowing how it would be affected by the state budget, because legislators once again ignored the deadline for approving a state budget.
In addition, because the governor and the legislators failed to address the long-standing structural imbalance in the budget, the state’s deficit is growing on a daily basis, meaning mid-year cuts are a virtual certainty after the Governor releases his proposed 2009-10 budget on January 10.
The District, in its efforts to overcome the financial impact of declining enrollment and direct every dollar possible to teaching and learning, has made several difficult decisions during the past couple of years, including closing two schools, introducing staffing ratios and discontinuing busing for high school students. More difficult decisions could be coming, Mr. Hood warned, although the District has been preparing for this eventuality for several months and the financial blow could be mitigated somewhat if the state allows district’s flexibility in spending of categorical funds.
Also on Tuesday night, the Board:
● Approved elimination of a classified management position, coordinator of maintenance/operations, as part of a restructuring that is expected to reduce costs by approximately $40,000 per year while increasing services.
● Recognized, in abstentia, James Logan and Conley-Caraballo high school students who worked at the polls for the Nov. 4 election.
Agendas of regular Board of Education meetings and minutes of past meetings are available on the District website: www.nhusd.k12.ca.us
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