Lorrie Davis, CAC Chairperson ,Addresses The Board Of Education. Please Submit Your Comments And Concerns To The Board Members

Here is the text of Lorrie Davis', CAC Chairperson,address to the MDUSD Board of Education members on 6/28/11 regarding Item #15.26. You are encouraged to write to the Board members (and cc the Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Brown) with any questions or concerns you might have.

"I agree we must approve this item to pay for the mandated AB 3632 mental health services; however, I am concerned with the statement in the first paragraph written under the Summary section which states:

For 2010/11 the cost of AB 3632 services was budgeted at $4.8 million. Under current information received from the CDE, we anticipate receiving $3.4 million for the 2011/12 budget cycle, and $2.1 million annually after that. Therefore, the Special Education department is committed to determine reductions in the overall special education budget including the new requirements that districts are being mandated to absorb because AB 3632 was repealed, to ensure additional longer term financial pressures are not placed on the general fund.

This statement is very disturbing. How can staff guarantee they will find $1.4 million in special ed. reductions?

I understand the State has chosen to shift the responsibility of providing AB 3632 services from the County to School Districts without full funding and I applaud the board for understanding how important it is to fund this mandated program; however, why is the special ed. department responsible for absorbing the excess cost, requiring them to reduce services for all of our other special needs students?

With all the cuts special ed. has received, how can staff guarantee they will find $1.4 million in reductions? There is no where else to cut.

School Districts are under a mandate to serve all students with special needs. You cannot uphold the mandate for one group over another.

We cannot pick and choose which special ed. students will be served and which services we will provide.

In regards to financing the projected $1.4 million in excess costs, these are difficult times but the money needs to come from somewhere.
• This year, the board approved a budget in the amount of $2,428,189. Three weeks ago we received additional funding to assist with providing the new services; therefore, we spent only $8,509. The savings of over $2.4 million dollars
($2,419,680) can cover the $1.4 million projected excess cost for next year.
• For future years, according to the School Services of California dartboard, between the 2012-13 and 2015-16 fiscal years, our district will receive over $600,000each year in additional AB 602 funding; therefore, by the 2015-16 fiscal year, our special ed. funding will increase by over $2.4 million ($2,462,922).This information has already been shared with staff.



Fiscal Year Funded COLA Funding Increase
2010-11 P-2 0.00% 19,797,027.00
2011-12 0.00% 19,797,027.00 0.00
2012-13 3.20% 20,430,531.86 633,504.86
2013-14 2.70% 20,982,156.22 551,624.36
2014-15 2.90% 21,590,638.75 608,482.53
2015-16 3.10% 22,259,948.56 669,309.80

Total Increase in Funding $ 2,462,921.56




School Districts are under a mandate to serve all students with special needs.

Reductions already imposed on the special ed. program has created concern as to whether the district is fulfilling their legal obligation in providing FAPE.

It is important that we continue to make decisions that ensure mandated services are not compromised for any student."



Item 15.26

MDUSD Email Addresses

Gary Eberhart gary@mdusd.net


Sherry Whitmarsh sherrywhitmarsh@hotmail.com


Linda Mayo mayolk@aol.com


Cheryl Hansen cherylhansenmdusd@yahoo.com


Lynne Dennler lynnedennler@gmail.com


Steven Lawrence lawrences@mdusd.k12.ca.us


Mildred Browne brownem@mdusd.k12.ca.us

CAC Meeting - Potential Budget Reductions in Special Education

Community Advisory Committee Meeting
Monday, March 7, 2011 at 7 p.m.

Dent Center Board Room
1936 Carlotta Drive
Concord, California 94519

Potential budget reductions in special education will be discussed.
Everyone is welcomed - Bring a friend.

Superintendent's Budget Article- Governor’s Budget Proposal and Impact on MDUSD

Governor Brown has acknowledged that education has been the only major program that has taken disproportionate budget reductions since 2007-08. Therefore, he committed to protect education by proposing flat funding for education for 2011-12. However, flat funding really results in about a $19 annual per pupil reduction.

The 2011-12 Governor’s Proposed Budget was submitted with an estimated 18-month budget shortfall of $25.4 billion, comprised of an $8.2 billion shortfall in 2010-11 and a $17.2 billion shortfall in 2011-12. The Governor’s proposal addresses the shortfall in three ways: (1) reducing expenditures by $12.5 billion over two years (2010-11 and 2011-12); (2) enhancing revenue by $12 billion over the same two-year period to be achieved through a June ballot measure to extend the temporary taxes enacted in 2009-10 by five years (.25 percent surcharge on income tax, 1 percent increase in the sales tax, .5 percent increase in the vehicle license fee); and (3) borrowing $1.9 billion from special funds and other one-time measures.

The success of this proposal largely depends on a two thirds bipartisan legislative approval to place the tax extension measure on the ballot and then on a majority of the voters approving the tax extension. Additionally, the Legislature would have to agree to expenditure reductions similar to ones that they have rejected in prior years. Part of the Governor’s strategy is a proposal to realign or to shift responsibility of many programs along with the revenue sources to local governments. This shift would include using one-time Proposition 63 funds of $861 million to fund community mental health services. Clearly, there are many challenges ahead for the Governor and the Legislature to balance this budget.

Read more HERE

Write To Our Legislators Regarding AB3632

Here are AB 3632 Sample Letters and a Legislators Contact list. PLEASE write letters ASAP and ask family and friends to write letters as well. Thank you.

Legislator Contact List

Sample Letter A

Sample Letter B

Sample Letter C

Sample Letter D

Sample Letter E

Sample Letter F

Mt. Diablo School Board Approves Nearly $1 Million To Cover Mental Health Costs Vetoed in State Budget

Although Gov. Jerry Brown's budget spares K-12 education from immediate cuts, it does not give districts the money they need to replace mental health funding vetoed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger through June.

Read more of Theresa Harrington's article in the Contra Costa Times HERE.

MDUSD List of Possible School Closure Information

One-third of the Mt. Diablo school district's campuses are being scrutinized for possible closure in June to save $1.5 million or more annually.
A school closure committee has identified 15 elementary and middle school campuses out of 45 K-12 sites that it may recommend shuttering, based on eight criteria: facility conditions, capacity, operations and maintenance costs, available capacity at nearby sites, academic performance, geographic equity within the district, the possibility of moving students to better facilities, and the costs of closure.

Read more of Teresa Harrington’s Contra Costa Times article HERE
Read her article about the lists of possible closures HERE

Letter from the Superintendent

June 23, 2010



Dear Parents and Community of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District:

In a time of unprecedented budget deficits throughout the state, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District ("District") like many others is forced into the untenable position of making drastic reductions in staff and services. Ongoing state budget cuts have severely impacted the amount of money we receive from the State of California to educate the children of our community. As a result of decreasing revenues and declining student enrollment, the District's annual operating deficit is projected to average nearly $13 million per year for the next three years, on top of the approximately $24.8 million deficit for what remains of the 2009/10 fiscal year.

Although we have already responded to the budget deficit by implementing staff reductions and non-personnel cuts totaling $15.88 million, we regretfully find ourselves in the position of having to ask for additional concessions from all of our bargaining units in order to present a balanced budget to the County Office of Education by June 30.

In the event we are not able to present a balanced budget in 2010/11 and beyond, there is a very real possibility that the state could take over our District. If there is a takeover and a State Administrator is appointed, your elected representatives (the Board of Education) and by extension you, will have no say in running the District. That is an outcome I know that none of us want to see come to pass.

I am certain that you have questions about the District's finances and what is happening at the bargaining table. Therefore, I am enclosing answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the budget and the status of bargaining.

I am confident that with continued cooperation we will see our way through this current fiscal storm. Thank you for your patience. Have a good summer.

Sincerely,



Steven Lawrence
Superintendent



Frequently asked questions

Preguntas frequentes

Support Measure C

Click on the image to enlarge.
We will link to the website as soon as it is available.

Proposed Special Education Cuts

On March 9 the MDUSD Board of Education voted to reduce Special Education by an average of $2.8M annually over three years starting with the 2010-11 school year. At last night's CAC meeting, the Special Education Department presented a list of proposed cuts based on the MGT report of their study of Special Education and 504 plans.


View the list of proposed cuts HERE and HERE.

View the CAC discussion notes HERE and HERE.

CAC Meeting on Monday

WHAT: CAC Meeting (including a discussion on special education budget cuts)

WHEN: Monday, April 12

TIME: 7pm.

WHERE: District Office, Board Room

AGENDA: HERE

Board of Education Agenda

Public Hearing

View the annual budget and service plan HERE.
View the Board of Education meeting agenda HERE.

Board Meeting on Tuesday

The MDUSD Board of Education (BOE) will meet on Tuesday, March 9 at 7:30pm at Monte Gardens Elementary. Due to the California budget crisis the budget needs to be reduced by $15,701,400 annually. Recommended items for reduction are:

1. Reduce Special Education by an average of $2.8M annually over three years starting with the 2010-11 school year. In April, staff will share with the CAC recommended reductions based on the MGT Report, declining student enrollment, and other staff identified reductions prior to sharing the recommendations with the Board.

2. Reduce district-wide office support staff positions to create a $1.2 M savings.

3. Transfer another 1.5M from the Tier III categoricals.

4. Change the comprehensive high school graduation requirements so that students need 20 credits of math and 200 total credits. Change the alternative high school, necessary small high schools, and adult education graduation requirements so students need 20 credits of math and 180 credits. All other graduation requirements would remain the same. Click HERE and HERE for more information. For the first link please click on Item 14.2: Public Hearing and Action on Additional Budget Reductions Including Flexibility Transfers .

5. Achieve $9.8M in on-going savings through a combination of negotiable items. Click HERE for more information and click on Item 14.2: Public Hearing and Action on Additional Budget Reductions Including Flexibility Transfers .

View the agenda HERE.
View the proposed budget reduction list HERE.
View the list of proposed reductions to school sites HERE.
View the graduation comparison table HERE.

CAC Meeting 6pm Tonight!

WHAT: CAC Meeting and MGT Report Discussion

WHEN: Monday, March 1

TIME: 6pm.

WHERE: District Office Board Room

AGENDA: HERE

Read the MGT Report HERE.
Read the explanation of the BOE request for the study HERE.
Read the explanation of the selection MGT for the study HERE.
The difference between the earlier Self Review and MGT study is explained HERE.

Remember special Board Meeting on Tuesday, March 2, 6pm at Monte Gardens Elementary!View the agenda HERE.

Board Meeting Tonight

The MDUSD School Board meets tonight to discuss the ongoing budget concerns and vote on budget reductions, along with their general agenda. The meeting will take place at Monte Gardens Elementary at 7:30pm.
View the agenda HERE.
View the updated budget reduction list HERE.
Read the Contra Costa Times article HERE.
View the meeting ONLINE.