La Mesa-Spring Valley School Board Raps Law as ‘Financially Reckless’

The La Mesa-Spring Valley school board is urging state lawmakers to repeal what they call the “financially reckless” provisions of a new law that limits they way school districts may handle a potential midyear funding reduction.

Assembly Bill 114, a last-minute education trailer bill passed with the state budget last month, requires districts to assume that state funding will remain the same as last fiscal year though another budget bill calls for a midyear funding cut to schools if state revenues fall below certain levels.

“It basically says we want you to budget in your district as if we’re good for our money—and historically the state government is not good for their money,” said trustee Bill Baber.

“They’re ordering us to believe in them when we don’t believe in them,” he added.

The board voted 5-0 Tuesday night to urge repeal of key provisions of AB 114, joining a chorus of school boards and educational leaders opposing the controversial legislation.

“AB 114 undermines the ability of local school boards to act in a fiscally prudent manner by requiring school districts to maintain staffing and program levels commensurate with a funding level that is at best tenuous,” the board said in the resolution.

Teacher unions say the legislation will protect jobs and bring stability to classrooms after years of extensive layoffs. AB 114 specifically prevents districts from laying off teachers this year by suspending a provision that usually gives them up to Aug. 15 to cut teaching positions for emergency reasons.

However, another budget bill, AB 121, calls for cutting funding to public school districts if state revenues fall $2 billion below estimates. Public schools could lose about $1.7 billion if this happens.

Baber said the legislation will make it harder for districts to manage budgets.

“We’re not allowed to doubt the current budget or the stability of the current budget as a tool to evaluate,” he said.

The state will allow districts to reduce their school year by an additional seven days to address midyear cuts, but they need to negotiate that with their labor unions. Districts currently can reduce their school year by five days.

In addition, AB 114 reduces financial oversight of school district budgets by county education offices this year. In the past, districts were required to project a balanced budget for the current year and the following two years. This year they’re required to present a balanced budget for the current fiscal year only.

Union leaders think this provision will reduce pressure to lay off teachers based on distant funding projections.

The resolution passed by the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District board directed the district’s superintendent and assistant superintendent of business services to provide the board sound fiscal analysis “that includes the instability of the state budget into contingency plans.”