Sacramento City Unified makes cuts to preschool program, college visits and bus routes
The Sacramento City Unified District school board voted Thursday night to cut professional development, travel, college and career visits, seven school bus routes and the district’s preschool program.
However, the board also voted to spare IB and AP exam funding and elementary sports from cuts.
“Tonight our board took action on a plan that included serious and painful cuts to our district budget,” Superintendent Jorge Aguilar said during the meeting. “We’ve all heard the adage that budgets are a reflection of our priorities. In Sacramento City Unified, the success and well-being of all of our students are our priorities. Unfortunately, the budget we took action on is not the best reflection of our priorities, but does reflect our current reality. I can’t pretend that even in our current budget that we are meeting all of our students’ needs. We are still working toward our vision of equity.”
Aguilar said the district must recognize the reality of its budget and address its structural deficit, which the district puts at $33 million.
Parents and teachers spoke out against many of the proposed cuts, which totaled roughly $4 million.
Sacramento City Unified first considered these cuts in November, but in December, board members voted to reject the budget cuts — which originally amounted to $18 million.
Programs and teachers at small schools in the district were not slated for cuts Thursday. District Chief Business Officer Rose Ramos said that it would cost significantly more per student to operate small schools in the district. Those cuts may be considered in the future.
“We are in the bare bones of opening our classrooms and educating our kids,” said Director of Child Development Jacquie Bonini.
Hundreds submitted public comments and letters to board members, demanding they reject the budget cuts. Many said they were concerned that eliminating funding to IB and AP exams would disincentivize low-income families and students from participating in the program
”No other school has an honors program that serves the diversity of students we do,” said Burbank High principal Jim Peterson. “Cutting IB testing funds means the end of IB program at Luther Burbank. What better way to vote down this structurally racist proposal on Black history month.”
More than 230 students who are bused to schools after their Sacramento City Unified neighborhood school closed will now lose their transportation. Several preschool staff members will be sent lay off notices due to the cuts.
“Strong parent, student and educator opposition led the school board to reject the vast majority of Superintendent Aguilar’s proposed cuts to student services, despite the continued disinformation campaign from district administrators,” read a statement from the Sacramento City Teachers Association. “But there’s still work to do. With more than $225 million in new revenue SCUSD should be increasing services to students, not making cuts to child development.”
Some board members called for the board to wait for state funding before cutting preschool programs.
District officials say they cannot count on state funding yet, as it has not been approved and amounts change from year to year. And the federal aid to help address COVID-19 will not address the district’s structural deficit.
“The district will receive state and federal dollars, but unfortunately these additional funds will not be enough to address the structural deficit,” said board member Leticia Garcia. “If the district gets additional funds, state and federal, we are going to use that first to offset the structural deficit and then come back, find out what changes we can make between whatever gets adopted today and when the board adopts a final budget.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 1:04 PM.