PUSD Approves School for Summer, Talks Budget

At-risk students in Pleasanton’s middle and high schools will be able to take summer school sessions as a result of  board of trustees’ approval of the 2011 Summer School Program at Tuesday’s board meeting.

The program will offer:

• Academic support for students in grades 6-8 who are at risk of retention
• Secondary classes for high-school students who need to fulfill graduation or college entrance requirements 
• English language development classes for students in grades 1-5
• Special day classes for all grade levels

Approval of the program comes just two weeks after the board  remedial summer school programs for grades 1-5 along with other services and programs in order to save $3.5 million for the 2011-2012 school year.

Glen Sparks, director of summer school programs, told the five-member school board that he was glad that the program is going forward but expressed regret that remedial programs at the elementary level had to be cut.

“We’re doing the best with what we have,” he said. “We have to weather the storm while it’s here.”

Board President Valerie Arkin apologized to the community for having to make such cuts and other board members said they wish they weren't necessary.

“These are programs for students at risk…we don’t want to do any more harm,” said trustee Jeff Bowser.

Summer school for all levels is set to begin June 20. Elementary summer programs will ends July 14, special day classes are scheduled to end July 20 and high school programs will end July 28.

The trustees also approved the district’s second interim report of its budget and approved it with positive certification as recommended by Luz Cazares, assistant superintendent of business services.

The report shows significant changes the district has made since its first interim report, which was approved by the board in December.

These changes include:

• An additional $700,000 of the final 10 percent of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which must be spent by Sept. 30
• An increase of approximately $100,000 in mandate reimbursements for prior-year claims
• Restricted revenues and expenditures were revised to reflect actual awards. Refinements of projected salaries and additional expenses also were revised.

Cazares also announced that the district is seeing a $200,000 increase in developer fees, which could be used for future debt service payments and prevent the district from borrowing from its Sycamore Fund.

The Sycamore Fund is monies that came from a sale of property on Sycamore Road that was purchased with the intent to build a new high school.

Still, the district is facing a $7 million shortfall in the 2011-2012 school year. According to Cazares, the district hopes to generate revenue by gaining approval for its proposed $98 parcel tax.

The district resolved an $8 million shortfall last year for its 2010-2011 budget. About $5.2 million of that deficit was closed through employee concessions, $3 million was resolved through spending reductions and $660,000 came from fund-raising campaigns.  All of those reductions will expire June 30.

For more information about the district’s budget, click here. To download the second interim report, download the March 8 board packet by clicking here.