What to spend on? What to save for? Modesto trustees seek public input before deciding

The spending priorities for Modesto City Schools will be laid out at a public hearing Monday with board members taking input on plans put forward for a 2015-16 budget that could outpace this year’s by an estimated $36.9 million under the latest state figures. The board will also vote on buying football helmets with concussion sensors for all district football teams.

Gregori High School piloted the new helmets in partnership with Doctors Medical Center after student Dominic Barandica researched the issue as an English project. The helmets are designed to reduce the risk of traumatic head injuries. The low bid of $98,784 from Riddell All American Sports would buy each high school 54 helmets for freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams this fall.

But the bulk of the meeting is expected to be devoted to a mile-high discussion of spending and savings. The public hearing will cover the community input portion of budgeting, the Local Control Accountability Plan, better known as the LCAP (pronounced L-cap).

A separate agenda item discusses savings priorities for the district, money it could set aside for big-ticket items. Saving to replace the Downey High stadium’s artificial turf and for new cafeterias and classrooms at Burbank and Wilson elementary schools is proposed.

Both will deal with multimillion-dollar plans, made possible by the statewide surge in school funding. The rise reflects an ongoing commitment by the state to equalize what it pays per child around the state, as well as a one-time boon as the state pays down IOUs it gave schools during the recession.

The $36.9 million is just an early estimate from the governor’s proposed budget, cautioned Chief Financial Official Julie Betschart.

It would be a 16 percent hike over last year’s $235.4 million the district received from the state’s new funding formula. An updated budget to be reviewed Monday shows that this year the district got $294.6 million in total operating revenue, but spent $14.6 million beyond what it made. Higher salaries added to the imbalance, as the district spends about 4 out of 5 general fund dollars on employees.

Before the hearing, trustees will meet in closed session to discuss negotiations with unions for the coming year, sure to touch on Modesto’s anticipated good fortune.

The regular meeting will touch on administrative pay. The board is slated to vote on new, two-year contracts for two of its top administrators. An agenda report says Associate Superintendent Ginger Johnson, head of educational services, would get a small longevity increase to $154,828.

Associate Superintendent Craig Rydquist, however, is being considered for a boost to deputy superintendent, a position the district eliminated after the retirement of Chris Flesuras in 2011. The move would increase Rydquist’s base salary to $170,858, a 7.3 percent increase.

Student needs, however, by law are the focus of the LCAP. This year’s LCAP must address how effective the district’s spending was last year in meeting the priorities it set for itself. The regulations are a work in progress, with communities expected to take a more active role in watching district spending.

“This LCAP is the most frustrating and invigorating task I’ve ever been given,” commented Johnson as she laid out the district draft plan last week. “What you’ll see this year is a lot of areas that continue,” she said. The word “add” becomes “maintain,” “begin” becomes “continue” as needs identified from the start require more work.

The cumbersome state form with dollars allocated will be available by the time the board votes on accepting the plan, expected to be June 22. What is available for this meeting is what was spent last year by need served, next to a list of needs for next year.

The district breaks down what it spent by three overarching goals: school climate, student achievement and student well-being. School climate is a broad-brush category, encompassing campus buildings and technology, school discipline and parent involvement.

The district spent $6.2 million on facility fixes last year, including roofs, heating, and high school fields and pools, and $2.8 million on Wi-Fi and new computers. Elementary computer teachers hired added 35 hours of computer training for first- through sixth-graders. Davis High piloted having all students get laptops. More spending on the district’s aging facilities, including more custodians, and on technology is projected for 2015-16.

To improve discipline effectiveness, it trained staff members at all schools in proactive behavior management strategies and five schools started restorative justice programs. Suspensions dropped by 25 percent in elementary schools and 20 percent in high schools, though changes in discipline laws may also have contributed to the decline. A need for more staff training in cultural differences is noted for the coming year.

The district hopes to hire a foster youth overseer to better manage the challenging cases of 48 elementary students and 40 high school students. Johnson said the workshop looking at foster youth needs opened her eyes.

“I asked them what they wanted to do after high school, and it was clear they couldn’t even imagine it. They said, ‘We don’t know what’s happening to us this weekend,’” she said.

To reach out to parents, the district held leadership training courses attended by 686 parents, hired translators for schools and added attendance liaisons to help track absences. One-stop shops held before school began for elementary students, the younger equivalent of the high school roundup, drew more than half of the grade school families.

In the area of student achievement, the district identified a need to improve writing instruction and more training on helping English learners. Parents want more access to college for students through more advanced placement courses, Advancement Via Individual Determination program help for students without a college-savvy parent, and the middle college program piloted at Davis High last year.

The third area delved into help for struggling students; more nurses for health needs; and more artistic, social and athletic opportunities for kids.

More funding for music programs and field trips to performances is being proposed, as well as a return to three-day stays at Foothill Horizons summer camp for all sixth-graders, Johnson said.

The latter was added after the committee heard a well-reasoned plea by sixth-grade student representative Sophia Johnson, she said.

“She did the research, tied the learning into Common Core standards,” said Johnson, who is not related to the student. To see a video of Sophia taking her case to the school board, go to www.modbee.com.

This story was originally published May 31, 2015 at 12:47 PM with the headline "What to spend on? What to save for? Modesto trustees seek public input before deciding."