EdwinDiaz.com

Edwin Diaz

PUSD Superintendent

PUSD Superintendent Edwin Diaz issued this message about the impact of state budget cuts to education today (June 3, 2009).

Just as Mr. Diaz encourages members of the PUSD community to stay informed, PEN takes this opportunity to remind our parent network that parents have a role to play in setting goals for student achievement and reviewing how resources are directed to help our schools achieve those goals. PEN is working to make available additional resources to help parents understand the education budgeting and accountability process, so that we can play a more active role in helping our schools do a great job of educating all our children.

Dear PUSD Community Member:

In February, the State Legislature adopted a budget that included the most severe mid-year cuts to public education in history, and recent developments indicate that the state’s finances will continue to worsen over the next year. This week, Governor Schwarzenegger announced further revisions to the 2009-2010 budget proposal based on recent analyses that project a $23 billion state budget deficit in fiscal year 2009-2010. Although information about the state’s budget crisis continues to change rapidly and the full impact on PUSD remains uncertain, I want to keep you apprised of the latest information available.

Since the state budget was passed, PUSD staff have identified, and are in the process of implementing, $12.5 million in cuts to balance the budget in 2008-09 and 2009-2010.

The state’s financial position continues to deteriorate and as a
result, uncertainty remains regarding the budget for the current year as well as 2009-2010. Recent estimates by state officials indicate that the failure of state Propositions 1A through 1E will widen the state budget shortfall by an additional $5.8 million in 2009-2010.

The Governor is expected to propose an additional $1.6 billion
reduction to public education in 2008-09 and $3.8 billion more in
2009-2010. This would result in $1,000 less per student next year as compared to 2007-08. PUSD would lose $5 million in revenue in the current year and $11.8 million more next year.

The District expects to receive one-time federal stimulus funds in the amount of $14.1 million in 2009-10 and $9 million the following year. However, the District will refrain from developing plans for federal stimulus funding until the full impact of the state’s 2009-2010 budget is confirmed.

Given that only one month remains in the current fiscal year, we have very little time to absorb additional cuts and submit a balanced budget by June 30. We will utilize this next month to develop a budget based on the best information available, but we still face a great deal of uncertainty because we won’t know the severity of the state’s reductions until 2010-2011 when the federal stimulus funds are exhausted.

Over the summer, I plan to devote an extended period of time to
discussions about balancing the budget next year, aligning our remaining resources to our priorities, and discussing creative ideas for generating revenues to fund our priorities in the long term - after the one-time federal funding runs out.

It is clear that our challenge is not only balancing a budget but also advocating for adequate, stable funding for our schools, maintaining core academic programs, and also keeping our forward momentum and reform efforts alive.

I will continue to provide updates to staff, families and the community at public meetings, via direct messages, and on the website at www.pusd.us. I encourage you to stay informed about this volatile financial situation and its potential impact on our students.

As we struggle with the difficult decisions ahead, your continued
support will be essential to our efforts to provide a world class
education that prepares our students for the 21st century workforce and economy.

Sincerely,

Edwin Diaz

Page updated June 3, 2009