Schools

$4 Million Surplus Noted in Final 2010-11 K-8 Schools Budget

But "future is as cloudy as it's ever been," says schools Superintendent Brian Marshall.

The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District is paying its layoff-lightened bills, but "right now, I think the future is as cloudy as it’s ever been,” schools Superintendent Brian Marshall said Tuesday night.

The school board began the new school year by taking care of one  piece of business for the 2010-11 school year during the school board meeting at its Date Avenue headquarters.

The board approved the 2010-11 Unaudited Actuals Financial Report, which left the K-8 district with a nearly $4 million* surplus but total reserves of $12 million in unrestricted dollars and $1.9 million in restricted reserves.

Find out what's happening in La Mesa-Mount Helixwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“It puts us in a relatively good position to kind of brace for whatever may be coming—certainly much better than we were a year ago,” Marshall said.

As he presented the report, David Yoshihara, the district's assistant superintendent for business services, said 2010-11 was “a very interesting year.”

Find out what's happening in La Mesa-Mount Helixwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 “We did a lot of things to pull us through that year and prepare us for this year, which we continue to do,” Yoshihara said.

The had $97.28 million in unaudited actuals revenues for the 2010-11 school year. The district spent $93.21 million in unaudited actuals expenditures, which included certified and classified salaries, employee benefits, books, supplies, equipment, services, capital outlay and other outgo and support.

“This is how we basically closed the year,” Yoshihara said. “You can argue, fiscally, that’s a good thing.”

Still, Yoshihara noted that the balance for restricted funds—almost $2 million—was “significantly lower” than the restricted funds balance in previous years.

“Those dollars did get spent,” he said. “We really did spend that down.”

Marshall said the district would add funds to the balance when it was fiscally able to do so.

“When we get to a point where we have more stability in the system, when we know a better idea of what’s coming, then certainly we can start putting money back into the restricted programs and what the district has had to cut,” Marshall said. “But I think it’s premature to start doing any of that until we know what we have and where we stand for the next few years.

“Right now, I think the future is as cloudy as it’s ever been.”

Marshall and board members thanked the staff who worked on the report.

"You guys have put us in the best possible fiscal position that you could, considering the disaster that you’re working with," said board President Rick Winet.

Board member Emma Turner thanked the district’s stakeholders for their cooperation with the cuts, which made the surplus possible.

La Mesa-Spring Valley schools made drastic cuts to its workforce to recently pass a balanced $90.4 million budget for the 2011-12 school year.

Some 102 teachers were laid off and 56 classified positions eliminated last school year due to budget reductions. Other La Mesa-Spring Valley workers had their hours reduced.

Layoffs also contributed to a major reshuffling of the district’s certificated workforce for the new school year. One hundred and twenty-two teachers—about one–fifth of the district’s certificated workforce—changed schools.

“I know some districts are fighting and not getting along,” Turner said. “We seem to be able to work it out here, as you can see. ... We need to be able to continue that spirit of working it out.”

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported a $14 million surplus for 2010-2011.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here