Turlock board says yes to cuts to help close $3.3 million budget gap

TURLOCK — What do this city's schools have in common with inner-city Los Angeles?

In Turlock and Compton, nearly one-third of schoolchildren rely on Medi-Cal, the public health insurance program for low-income families, a Turlock schools official said.

On Tuesday night, the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to use nearly half its federal reimbursement for time spent connecting students to low-cost health care — $840,000 — to help balance next year's remaining $3.3 million budget gap.

Trustees voted 5-1 to approve a list of 17 cuts for 2009-10. Trustee Tami Muniz voted against the cuts, and board president Timm LaVelle was absent.

"It hurts, but the good thing is everyone has a job," Superintendent Sonny Da Marto said after the meeting.

In Turlock, that federal money, called Medi-Cal Administrative Activities funds, has paid for school nurses and psychologists, classroom supplies for teachers and special programs such as one to fight bullying.

"Without it, there are a lot of programs we would have lost," said Gil Ogden, director of student services. "It's a lifesaver."

Ogden said 600 teachers and administrators volunteered to help steer students to health services and information about enrolling in Medi-Cal this year, which triggers the federal money.

The money has no strings attached, so district officials can use it for anything from repairing a copier to paying for a special education field trip, Ogden said.

Outdoor education was spared the chopping block but will be pulled from the district's budget in 2010-11.

The trustees also voted to:

• Eliminate extra-period pay for teachers who teach during their preparation period

• Slash the maintenance budget by one-third, or $1.1 million

• Cut school and district allocations by 10 percent

• Cut transportation to magnet schools and gifted and talented education programs

Muniz said she withheld her support for the cuts because she feared cutting busing would keep students from Turlock's west side from participating in the special programs.

Trustee John Sims said agonizing over the cuts was warranted but believes the budget crisis has yet to hit bottom.

"This will be the easy round of reductions," Sims said. "We are going to look back on this night fondly."

Turlock used its reserves to cover most of the $4 million shortfall this year but had to find $6.5 million to cut from a $120 million budget for 2009-10, which starts July 1.

The district trimmed $1 million in an early round of cuts, and nearly all the district's employee groups have approved cuts to their salaries and benefits, for $2 million in savings. In response, the board took back 126 layoff warnings given to teachers and administrators.

A tentative agreement with the California School Employees Association, which has not been ratified by union members or the school board, would save $330,000 and put the district back in the black. CSEA represents classified employees, such as custodians and classroom aides.

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.