Second special LTUSD meeting of the week: Budget cuts could still eliminate teachers

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Tuesday's special meeting of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) did not meet the requirements of the Brown Act as public comment was not allowed until after the board voted on the agenda item.

Every agenda for a regular meeting shall provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the legislative body on any item under the subject matter jurisdiction of the body. With respect to any item which is already on the agenda, or in connection with any item which the body will consider pursuant to the exceptions contained in section 54954.2(b), the public must be given the opportunity to comment before or during the legislative body’s consideration of the item.

While the decision made at that meeting may have stood up, LTUSD Superintendent Dr. Todd Cutler called for a second special meeting with the same agenda at noon on Friday, March 15. It is unclear at this time if any actions made after the Tuesday meeting based on the vote of the board will be tested (such as issuance of pink slips).

Due to declining enrollment in South Lake Tahoe, and a state budget that may be cutting funds for education, LTUSD had to start looking for ways to cut expenses, raise revenues, or a bit of both. Some teachers (8) and assistant principals (2) may lose their jobs if State funding is cut. By March 15, any teachers or school administration that might be cut had to receive notice of a reduction in force (RIF), a requirement.

The RIF is part of the budgetary process.

Those who have received the RIF: Certificated Management 2 - Assistant Principal High School; Certificated Teacher 3 - Elementary School Teacher;
Certificated Teacher 1 - Early Childhood Special Education; Certificated Teacher 1 - CTE Residential & Commercial Construction; Certificated Teacher 1 - Social Science; Certificated Teacher 1 - Elementary School Music; Certificated Teacher 1 - Speech Language Pathologist.

Fewer public comments were made Friday since many who spoke Tuesday were at work. Special meetings only need to be noticed 24 hours in advance, so the short notice and meeting time concerned many speakers.

Parent and volleyball coach Christie Wilson told the board they've heard testament as to how important staff is, and that the staff who received the RIFs have a lot of support.

"Administration at the high school is important," said Wilson. Volleyball games were on the verge of being shut down due to discipline issues this year, and the administration with two assistant principals was valuable.

A mother of a hearing-impaired high school student said her daughter felt important in school thanks to the teachers who helped her thrive, especially the music and construction teachers. With both of these teachers getting their RIF, she told the board that all of the positions they voted to get rid of were needed.

Parent Jennifer Peterson told the trustees "Perhaps we don’t need as many administrative positions. The assistant principals at South Tahoe High School need to stay - we can’t offload the work to anyone else. They work with those that need more attention."

"I hate to see us losing so many student-facing positions," added Peterson. "What is the best for the greatest population?"

“Keep the cuts away from our kids and our classrooms, let's find some other alternatives,” said Jodi Dayberry, president of the South Tahoe Educators Association.

Trustee Larry Reilly, a teacher for 39 years, said this was very difficult for him. He said he had been pink-slipped twice in his career.

“I don’t have all the answers but we need to get our budget in line,” he said. Reilly said with miscalculated revenue at the state level, the board had the financial responsibility to balance its budget.

During Friday's meeting, the trustees passed a resolution to inform the same ten certified staff members that they could be laid off if more funding could not be found.

The state will learn on April 15 what tax revenues will be, then a May revised budget will be created. On June 15 the state legislature should vote on the budget.

Trustee Lauri Kemper said now is the time to let your voice be heard at the state level, and asked for creative ways to increase revenue.

“This notice of riffing is not about individuals and those positions, they are the last the district hired,” said Kemper. “We hope we can bring those people back.”

To communicate with the state legislators who represent South Lake Tahoe and stress the importance of funding education, contact:

California State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil, 1021 O Street, Suite 7240, Sacramento, CA 95814, Phone: (916) 651-4004

Assemblymember Megan Dahle 1021 O Street, Suite 5710, Sacramento, CA 95814, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0001; (916) 319-2001

Some of the funding the school district gets is based on students who are in school. Even though LTUSD has historically seen lower attendance than the average district, it has been lower than normal. Last year they had a 90 percent attendance rate but this year it is up to 93 percent. Many districts aim for 97 percent as LTUSD hovers around 94-96 percent.

The district will be concentrating on increased attendance, the consolidation of programs, increased grant writing, and other solutions to prevent layoffs.