May 1, 2023
The board of trustees voted unanimously to approve a raise for all classified staff that matches the raise teachers received last month. The Santa Clara County Office of Education sent a letter to Erik Walukiewicz, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, expressing concern about the impact of the salary increases on the district’s future financial position: “Unless the District can bring the general fund operational expenditures into alignment with on-going revenue, the District may be unable to meet its financial obligations in the near future. Please note that the $2.8 M parcel tax revenue will expire in June 2025.”
The board received an update on special education services. Teachers are seeing many more instances of disruptive behavior post-pandemic, especially in the lower grades. Over 110 students have been seen by behavioral therapists this year compared to roughly 80 students the year before. Other specialists may push-in to classrooms to support neurodiversity in general education or pull-out students that need speech therapy.
Superintendent McGonagle announced that the teacher housing project located at 231 Grant Ave in Palo Alto has an additional 12 units available. These units require an extra $600,000 to secure, which doubles the financing commitment from the district. The board approved the new agreement with the County and is now due to receive a total of 24 units.
May 15, 2023 Special Study Session
Financial consultant, Dave Olson, discussed the district’s funding options for both new construction and modernization of existing campuses. The district’s current debt obligation is well below its statutory bonding capacity, and the tax rate in Los Altos from prior bond measures is the lowest in Santa Clara County. The board directed the administration to proceed with design and development of the following projects: gym facility and sports fields at the 10th site (for shared use with the City of Mountain View); drainage in a shared bike lane bordering the 10th site; and replacements to address critical needs of existing facilities (e.g. roofing and HVAC).
May 15, 2023
The board approved salary schedule enhancements for non-represented employees (e.g. school principals) that match those approved for both teachers and classified staff. The trustees also voted to adopt a new science curriculum (Elevate) for grades 6-8 that will meet Next Generation Science Standards.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Erik Walukiewicz, presented the recommendations made by the Budget Review Committee for 2023-24. Property tax revenue is expected to have significantly lower growth than in previous years due to the slowing economy. Meanwhile, expenditures have increased due to inflation and the need to keep salaries competitive. These factors have put pressure on projected reserves, which means budget cuts are necessary to restore reserves to the district’s target level of 8%. Other than the 2 layoffs approved by the board in March, the district expects to achieve $2.8 million in reductions through staff attrition (e.g. retirement, relocation) and non-staffing efficiencies. For more details, please refer to page 4 in the presentation linked here: 2023-24 Anticipated Reductions & Efficiencies. These reductions will be ongoing, with an additional $4.3 million in ongoing reductions expected for 2024-25.
Stella Kam, Observer