|
To Our Subscribers
|
The Board of Education is committed to ensuring that our parents, community and partners are fully informed on all district matters.
Through the use of our electronic newsletter, we are able to communicate more effectively and frequently than ever before while at the same time being mindful of our precious resources to do so: time, talent, and money.
Thank you for being a part of our flow of information. If at anytime you change your email or your preferences (such as which e-newsletters you would like to receive throughout our district), please click on the "Update Profile and Email Address" link at the bottom of this email.
| |
News of the District
October 30, 2008 |
Dear Parents and Friends of SMUSD,
Time
Warner Cable, Southern California News, has dubbed San Marino Unified
School District "Best in the West!" Ben McCain and John Mann from Time
Warner News came to visit San Marino High School to find out why, for
the fifth year in a row, San Marino Unified School District has claimed
the #1 spot in the state following the most recent release of the
Academic Performance Index, which is based on last spring's STAR
Testing sequence. We believe that teamwork makes it happen in San
Marino Schools. Teamwork has built a tradition of
excellence that provides our students with a strong educational foundation to prepare them for whatever they may choose to do. Watch the video.
|
|
District Budget
Answers to Common Questions
The state, national and global economies are in bad shape and with such a grim condition, it shouldn't be a surprise to any of us that our local district budget is affected.
For 2008-2009, we built our budget on total revenues of $29.5 million. 78% of those dollars come from the State, 3% from the Federal Government, and 19% comes from local sources such as the Parcel Tax and contributions made to the San Marino Schools Foundation. Because we are a public school district and are reliant on the State for most of our funds, our budget is expected to be negatively affected as the state plans for reduced revenues in the coming years.
Where Does The District Revenue Come From?
How does the San Marino Unified School District spend
its money?
How does San Marino Unified School District compare?
Nation-wide data is available from the National Center on Education Statistics. The most recent data available covers Fiscal Year 2005-2006 and was just published in July 2008.
Below is the revenue per pupil data from 11 random states, including California, as well as the national average, to give you an idea of how San Marino compares to the rest of the regular public school districts throughout the nation.
* According to the NCES data for 2005-2006, San Marino ranked near the bottom 5th percentile in per pupil revenue for Regular Public School Districts in the country.
What were the budget challenges faced by the District for Fiscal Year 2008-09?
The Governor's originally proposed 2008-2009 budget included reductions in education revenue that equaled $2.8 MM to SMUSD.
How did the District resolve the projected 2008-09-budget deficit?
- San Marino Schools Foundation Save Our Schools campaign (one-time funding): $1.3 million
- Additional local donations (one-time funding): $300,000.
- Administrative, certificated and classified salary and benefit savings as a result of staffing reductions, natural attrition, a classified hiring freeze and early retirement incentives: $834,000
- Increase in facility use income
- Reduction of district-wide expenditures
How was the Save Our Schools $1.3 million used?
As a result of donations made to the Schools Foundation Save Our Schools campaign, we were able to retain certificated, classified and other staff that:
- Preserve our small class sizes
- Maintain our existing class offerings, including all AP and Honors courses
- Maintain our current athletics and arts programs at their current levels
- Maintain our current Physical Education offerings
- Maintain our counseling staff
Are midyear cuts to K-12 education possible for 2008-09?
The Legislature's budget plan authorizes the Governor to make mid-year reductions to certain state programs. Reductions can occur when either revenues or expenditures "substantially" deviate from the budgeted level. Experts are almost certain that K-14 Education will experience mid-year cuts in January 2009. The Governor called for a Special Session of the Legislature by November 5 to re-address the 2008-09 State Budget and to consider mid-year reductions.
Any mid-year cuts experienced in January 2009 will result in an increase in the projected deficit for Fiscal Year 2009-2010.
What is the current District budget deficit projection for 2009-2010?
- As of October 20, 2008, School Services of California is projecting that the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) will be zero.
- The projected district deficit, for budget planning purposes, is currently anticipated to be in the range of $2-3 million.
How are the District and the Board of Education working to address the budget deficit for 2009-2010?
Believing that SMUSD needs to protect itself in a more systematic way from the state budgeting challenges, the SMUSD Governing Board formed a Financial Advisory Task Force in March of 2008. This Task Force, chaired by Tim Sloan, was asked to evaluate potential long-term alternatives that could provide SMUSD with dependable funding sources, particularly during periods of economic downturns. SMUSD is dedicated to maintaining our standard of excellence and is committed to finding sound financial solutions to help the district weather these cycles. The Task Force came back to the Board of Education on June 10, 2008 with five recommendations:
- Consider an incremental parcel assessment that protects and preserves SMUSD's educational excellence from state budget deficits, which many expert economists believe will last 3-5 years.
- Evaluate alternate uses for the Stoneman site which would provide increased revenues to the district.
- Evaluate the long-term capital needs of the district and identify a plan to meet those needs
Monitor the district's
opportunity to become a "Basic Aid" district. Districts that are
funded through basic aid can receive greater revenue than if they
receive an apportionment from the state by allowing the district
to retain a significant portion of the property taxes from the
community. Unfortunately, in San Marino, 20% of our homes are assessed
at less than $200,000, significantly less than market value and not
high enough to increase the district's per student income.
- Work in partnership with the City to identify sources of revenue available to the District.
The Board of Education held a Study Session on August 26, 2008 to review and discuss the recommendation and, shortly thereafter, formed three Task Forces composed of Community Members, Parents, District Staff/Administration, and Faculty to study the options and develop recommendations for the Governing Board. Reports from the Parcel Tax Committee (chaired by Nam Jack), General Obligation Bond Task Force (chaired by Tim Sloan), and the Stoneman Site Task Force (chaired by Kevin McDonnell and Greg Forgatch) are expected to be received by the Board in the next 2-3 months. In that the District annually monitors the Basic Aid criteria and works closely with the City to identify mutually beneficial resources, these two recommendations will not be further studied at this time.
|
Red Ribbon Week
DEA arrives at Carver Elementary School
On Tuesday, October 21st, fifth-grade students at Carver Elementary were surprised and delighted to see a helicopter landing on their playground. As part of Red Ribbon Week, the oldest and longest running anti-drug program nationwide, DEA agents and police officers from El Monte came out to speak with students about their role in the fight against drugs.
On hand to capture the moment was Stan Chambers from KTLA. |
Off To Carnegie Hall!
Huntington Middle School Advanced Orchestra
Led by Mr. Rob Folsom, Orchestra Director, 41 very talented HMS students will attend and participate in a band and orchestra festival at Carnegie Hall in April, 2009. The group submitted a recorded audition tape and sent a resume of participation in past festivals to qualify for this event. They will be competing for national honors with some of the best middle school students from around the country. Selection for this event is an honor. In preparation for this event, Mr. Folsom will require the students to provide a report detailing a significant event that occurred at Carnegie Hall at some point in its 120 year history. Much of the great musical history of the last century has emanated from Carnegie Hall. Congratulations to the HMS Advanced Orchestra for this extraordinary accomplishment!
|
Titan Blue
Proud of our Student Athletes
The Titan Varsity Football team remains undefeated with a 8-0 overall record following Friday night's game against Blair (49-0). This week the Titans take on Temple City.
Congratulations to our girls' volleyball (6-6), Girls' Golf team which finished fourth in the final league meet, Varsity Girls Tennis (14-1) and Boys Water Polo (9-9).
|
Valentine Fair
Children Are The Heart of Valentine School
Valentine Elementary PTA hosted its annual Valentine Fair on September 27, attracting hundreds of youngsters and adults. Game booths, climbing walls, a variety of food vendors and prizes galore greeted the participants. This year's Hawaiian-themed event was co-chaired by Alison McCrary and Dina McCall.
|
2009-2010
School Start Date Set
The first day for teachers for the 2009-2010 school year is August 24, 2009. The first day for student attendance will be August 25, 2009. The remainder of the school calendar for 2009-2010 is subject to negotiation with our teacher (certificated) and classified unions. We will provide the information to you as soon as the calendar is finalized.
|
GO GREEN
District Wide Efforts To Be In The Green Zone
 As we kicked off the school year, it has been fascinating to learn that not only has the Governing Board made "Go Green" a top priority for the District, but each school site PTA/PTSA/ASB has embraced and is promoting "green" on their respective campuses this year through educational activities and fund-raising events.
San Marino High School PTSA began recently held their "Go Green" parent party a private club in Pasadena. Co-chaired by Helene Jenkins and Wendy Kohno, the event raised awareness of the environment, auctioned off a Vespa scooter and raised money to support the students of SMHS.
Huntington Middle School PTA began the ink cartridge recycling program several years ago and today, the ASB continues to promote turning in cartridges to the school office.
Carver's PTA President, Stephanie Perry, announced "Planet Carver" as their year-long theme in September. Every event throughout the year will have some environmental emphasis, including their annual Parent Party which will be held at Union Station. Many guests will hop the Gold Line to travel to the event--fun and environmentally conscious!
Valentine introduced its new Green Team this fall, promoting environmental conservation and education to students, parents and staff. The Green Team kicked off the year promoting REUSE with its new Valentine logo reusable water bottles and shopping bags. They have also incorporated a Green Team Tip into their online weekly newsletter. The Green Team has set several goals for the year including the emphasis of "waste-free" school lunches, saying NO to plastic water bottles and recycling more paper on campus. Valentine is kicking off "Walk, Wheel or Carpool Wednesdays" this month to promote a reduced carbon footprint as well as healthy living. Valentine's Green Team hopes to coordinate with the other schools in the District this school year to create additional eco-awareness within the San Marino community.
Although the District has already made significant "green" improvements throughout the district, the Board of Education has made it a top priority to continue to identify ways to improve the District's carbon footprint. The Board and District Staff continue to evaluate alternative energy. In addition, advancements and investments in technology are enabling the Board to hold paperless board meetings beginning in December, to provide all of the board meeting documentation on-line for the public, and ALL district-wide communications now occur via email exclusively.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
