Vol. 2, Issue 11. March 13-19, 2009



By Jonathan Volzke

Dana Point Times



District faced March 13 deadline for notification



More than 400 teachers, counselors and special-program instructors will receive pink slips this week as the Capistrano Unified School District grapples with a $25 million budget shortfall for 2009-2010.



The Board of Trustees made the decision to issue pink slips to 344 teachers and 62 administrators during a Monday-night meeting attended by more than 400 parents, teachers and students. Many wore blue baseball caps proclaiming “support music” while a student quartet played outside the board room, signs saying “Don’t Stop the Music” taped to their music stands.



“Fine arts help students think in different ways,” San Clemente High senior Tyler Mastracchio told the board. “They help you get into college.” He noted trustees had earlier congratulated CUSD students who had been honored and added “I’m pretty sure most of them took International Baccalaureate classes and fine arts, so those are the kids we’d be losing with cuts in funding.”



Trustees, who have received a series of briefings on the budget during recent weeks, said the decision was difficult but they laid the blame at the feet of state lawmakers. Not only has education funding been slashed, the state budget system is in disarray, trustees said.



“Believe me, we all want to do the same thing. I don’t think there’s a soul up here that wants to cut, to eliminate any jobs,” Trustee Larry Christensen said. “The problem is the state has been spending as though there’s no tomorrow…Something has to go.”



The district faced a March 15 deadline to notify employees with a teaching certificate of their potential layoff. The notices can be rescinded if the budget picture changes. One potential reprieve could come through increased education funding on the package of special measures voters will consider in May.

But Christensen noted the district cut more than $9 million from the current budget, and that came after millions of dollars in trimming in previous years. “Last year we cut down to the bone, and frankly there’s nothing left to cut. But we have to do something.”



Trustee Mike Winsten put it simply. “This is hard,” he said. He noted staff has begun ranking programs that must be kept, those that would be nice to keep, and those that could go. He said information provided by a speaker—that a single music teacher often accommodated up to 60 students in single class—was good to know.



Board President Ellen Addonizio seemed to hint that she’s counting on teachers to take a pay cut in upcoming negotiations. Trustees on Monday also approved the teachers’ contract for the current school year—it calls for no raises, but allows pay hikes when teachers increase their seniority and education—and now must start negotiating the 2009-10 agreement.



Addonizio made the last comment before the board voted unanimously to send out the pink slips, saying “Bottom line, we’re looking for successful labor negotiations, aren’t we?”



The message came up again in an e-mail Addonizio sent to all CUSD employees on Tuesday, the day after the meeting. “The Board is going to have to cut virtually every program not mandated in law.  We will also be entering contract negotiations with the employee bargaining units of this District for the 2009-10 school year.  Our ability to restore programs will be determined by what we are able to negotiate in the way of salary and benefits with our employees,” Addonizio said. “Hopefully, we can negotiate contracts that will result in no employees being laid off and some programs being restored.  This will require salary rollbacks since roughly 85 percent of our general fund goes to labor expenses.  CUSD personnel didn’t experience salary rollbacks this year like so many in the private sector.”



At least one speaker at the meeting said teachers should take a pay cut. Vieda Cantacessi of Laguna Niguel, who identified herself as the parent of a CUSD teacher, said everybody is concerned with protecting reduced class sizes, library programs and field trips.



“Unions and trustees must renegotiate their contracts,” Cantacessi said. “We’re in dire straits and concessions must be considered. If we don’t do this and programs and teachers are cut, we have failed miserably and students will be the biggest losers.”



But Vicki Soderberg, president of 2,300-member Capistrano Unified Education Association, addressed the board as they considered the current contract. She said many factors—the special election and federal stimulus money among other things—will affect the budget and the solution will need to be well thought out and long term. “We too, President Addonizio, hope for successful negotiations,” Soderberg said. “But success won’t come if one side comes in with just one answer.”

The Capistrano Unified School District includes three Dana Point public schools, including Dana Hills High School, R.H. Dana Elementary School and Palisades Elementary School.



See Addonizio’s complete message to CUSD employees at the Beyond the Blackboard blog at www.danapointtimes.com



Pink Slips Going Out to School Employees



The Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees on Monday voted 7-0 to issue layoff notices to 407 employees who hold teaching credentials. Although some of the recall notices might be ultimately rescinded, the list includes 62.7 employees and administrators in the district’s headquarters and 344.6 who work directly with children. Here’s a breakdown of the cuts closest to students.



Elementary Pink Slips



Kindergarten, 3 FTE

1st Grade, 77 FTE

2nd Grade, 74 FTE

3rd Grade, 77 FTE



Upper Grades

4-6 Grade, 11 FTE

Elementary Chinese, 1 FTE



Secondary Pink Slips



Grades 7-12, 20 FTE

English, 5 FTE

Social Science, 4 FTE

Math, 4 FTE

Life Science, 4 FTE

Foreign Language, 1 FTE

PE, 2 FTE

Instructional Support Services, 26 FTE

Special Education, 5 FTE

Counselors, 27 FTE

Psychologist, 1 FTE