Lighthouse Project Hosts May 5 Community Forum to Address Public Education Funding Crisis

Big Bear Lake, CA — In furthering their efforts to foster a child-honoring community, the Lighthouse Project is hosting a community forum to address opportunities to alleviate crisis for our public schools. On Wednesday, May 5, from 6 to 8pm, all interested community members are invited to participate in the forum at Community Church by the Lake (on the Boulevard at Knickerbocker in Big Bear Lake); the purpose of the forum, per the Lighthouse’s Program Coordinator Beth Gardner, is to marshal support for schools and children as we navigate through the current public education funding crisis. After a brief general session, attendees will be split into small, facilitated focus groups, the results of which will be shared with Bear Valley Unified’s Superintendent Dr. Nancy Wright. Participants will also have the opportunity to contribute to a videotaped message which will be forwarded to government officials in Sacramento and Washington DC. According to Gardner, “The children of our community have never needed us more. Because of our geographic isolation, it is imperative that all of our children have ready access to schools in the area that provide excellent programs and education to prepare them for their future. Their future is truly our future. On May 5, we hope to see a magnificent turnout worthy of our special community.” RSVPs are requested for this event; to do so, please call the Lighthouse Project at 888/906-9998.

School Board Scheduled to Take Action on Budget Cut Recommendations This Evening

Big Bear Lake, CA — The Board of Trustees for the Bear Valley Unified School District has a big decision before them this evening, as they vote on budget cut recommendations from the Budget Advisory Committee. There are three plan suggestions on the table, in an effort to cut an additional $980,000 in spending for this school year and next. Plan A outlines salary rollbacks of 10-16%; the Plan B budget recommendation includes elimination of the GATE program, a reduction to Big Bear High School athletic travel, the elimination of athletic travel for the middle school, the elimination of intervention programs, reductions to maintenance and site budgets, and the elimination of the strings program, in addition to other items; and Plan C incorporates Plan B, plus additional layoffs for BVUSD personnel. This evening’s meeting of the school board takes place in the new cafeteria at Big Bear Middle School, and open session is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm.

DWP, School Board and BBARWA Meet This Week, Among Other Agencies

Big Bear Valley, CA — This being the fourth week of the month, a number of regular government meetings are scheduled to take place. In addition to this evening’s City Council meeting and tomorrow morning’s San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board of Commissioners for the Department of Water and Power convene at 9am Tuesday; the April 27 DWP meeting, to be held at their offices at 41972 Garstin Drive, will include review of TRT Committee recommendations and a review of the draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Though not their regularly scheduled meeting, the Healthcare District Board meets at 6:30pm Tuesday for a business meeting, during which time the creation of a new Chief Operating Officer position will be discussed. On Wednesday the 28th, the Governing Board for the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency meets at the BBARWA facility in Big Bear City at 5pm. Also on Wednesday, the much anticipated meeting of the Board of Trustees for Bear Valley Unified School District takes place; the open session portion of the meeting, to be held at 6:30pm at Big Bear Middle School, is agendized to include action on budget cut recommendations. The Big Bear Municipal Water District also meets this week, for a special meeting on Friday at 9:30am, to conduct a special workshop regarding lake management master planning.

Community Members, Including Students, Comment on Budget Cut Recommendations; BVUSD’s School Board to Vote in Two Weeks

Big Bear Lake, CA — During last night’s school board meeting, the final budget cut recommendations from Bear Valley Unified’s Budget Advisory Committee were presented to the five-member Board of Trustees, though a vote on these suggestions will not be taken until the April 28 meeting. Community members, including students from Big Bear High School, took advantage of the opportunity to comment during the April 14 meeting, campaigning for the continuation of the French program and in favor of saving teaching positions. Attendees also spoke both for and against across-the-board cuts, which is the Plan A presented by the Budget Advisory Committee. As finalized in their meeting of Monday, the BAC proposed that, to retain fiscal solvency for BVUSD, a salary rollback of 10-16% be implemented for management (which includes district administrative personnel and school site principals), in addition to the negotiation of a salary rollback of 10-16% for both certificated and classified bargaining units; this portion of Plan A cannot be mandated and, at present, negotiations with BVEA (the teachers union) and CSEA (representing classified staff) are underway and will continue into next week. The Budget Advisory Committee will be having another as-yet-unscheduled meeting to address some of the verbage attached to the reduction plans, though the specifics of Plans A, B and C have not changed. Should the school board opt not to go with the salary rollbacks of Plan A–which would result in a savings of at least $1.4 million (in light of the $980,000 that needs to be cut from spending for this school year and next)–the Plan B budget recommendation includes elimination of the GATE program, a reduction to Big Bear High School athletic travel, the elimination of athletic travel for the middle school, the elimination of intervention programs, reductions to maintenance and site budgets, and the elimination of the strings program, in addition to other items. Plan C incorporates Plan B, plus additional layoffs for BVUSD personnel.
Update: The Budget Advisory Committee meeting, which will include discussion and consensus on language for budget reduction recommendations, will be held on Tuesday, April 20 at 6pm at the school district offices on Moonridge Road.

BVUSD’s Budget Advisory Committee Recommendations To Go Before School Board; Decision to Be Made on April 28

Big Bear Lake, CA — The Board of Trustees for the Bear Valley Unified School District meet this evening (at 6:30pm in open session), and though they are not agendized to take action on the final budget cut recommendations of the Budget Advisory Committee, these proposals will be presented. As the school district needs to make an additional $100,000 in cuts for this present school year, and another $880,000 from the coming school year in order to remain fiscally solvent, the Budget Advisory Committee drafted a few choices for the Board, which will be voted upon during the school district’s April 28 meeting. The Plan A, as presented by the BAC, is a salary rollback of 10-16% for management (which includes district administrative personnel and school site principals), and the negotiation of a salary rollback of 10-16% for both certificated and classified bargaining units, for a total savings of at least $1.4 million and as much as $2.2 million. Per the statement issued with Plan A, the BAC says, “As a result of much passionate community input, the BAC decided this plan should be the first choice plan as it promotes what is best for students and staff. We understand this plan requires challenging negotiations and we believe potential results to be worth the challenge.” Should Plan A not be adopted, budget Plan B includes a reduction to Big Bear High School athletic travel, the elimination of athletic travel for the middle school, the elimination of intervention programs, reductions to maintenance and site budgets, and the elimination of the strings program, in addition to other items, including a Plan C that would constitute additional layoffs.

School District’s Budget Advisory Committee to Prepare Final Budget Cut Recommendations; Public Input Welcomed at Monday Meeting

Big Bear Lake, CA — Bear Valley Unified School District is poised to make another $100,000 in cuts for this school year, and needs to plan for an additional reduction of $880,000 in spending for school year 2010/2011, based on reductions in revenue at the state level. On Monday, April 12, the school district’s Budget Advisory Committee will cull their budget cut recommendations, which will then be forwarded to BVUSD’s Board of Trustees for consideration at their April 14 meeting. This Monday’s meeting, to be held at North Shore Elementary School (on Stanfield Cutoff) at 5:30pm, will be the public’s final opportunity to contribute input prior to the BAC’s final recommendations, so parents and interested community members are encouraged to participate. The Budget Advisory Committee is comprised of district staff Walter Con and Tim Larson, school board President Beverly Grabe, union representatives Alan Caldwell (for BVEA) and Bonnie South (for CSEA), school site representatives Tina Fulmer, Jeannette Haston and Pam Reames, and parent Mary Kelso; Superintendent Dr. Nancy Wright also participates on the Budget Advisory Committee, but in a non-voting capacity.

BVUSD Poised to Make Another $100,000 in Cuts for Current School Year; Full-Day Budget Meetings Scheduled

Big Bear Lake, CA — Bear Valley Unified School District’s second interim financial report was adopted by the Board of Trustees on March 17, and the district’s financial status was this week presented to the Budget Advisory Committee, which is comprised of parents, school district staff and community members. The district’s second interim financial report was adopted with a qualified certification, meaning that the district may not be able to meet its financial obligations for the current or two subsequent fiscal years. According to BVUSD’s Director of Business Services Watler Con, “This is the first time the district has filed a qualified report. What this means is that the district will have greater financial oversight from the County Office of Education and we, the district, will have to file a third interim report by June 1st. It must include a fiscal plan to restore the district to positive certification.”
Our local school district, like all school districts in California, is legally obligated to perform a three-year forecast. Given massive reductions in funding, BVUSD is not the only district to drop from a positive to a qualified certification; as of March 22, State Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell notes that at least 114 districts are now in this position, whereas just 19 were on California’s qualified list last year. As of Monday, 12 districts were on the negative certification list, though none of those are from within San Bernardino County.
In order for Bear Valley Unified to restore a positive certification, Con tells KBHR, “We have to come up with cuts of $100,000 in this current school year and $880,000 next year. The reason why we are ‘qualified’ is that $4 million in revenues have been cut.” To put this in perspective, in the 2007/2008 school year, BVUSD received $24.7 million in revenue; in the 2010/2011 school year, BVUSD is poised to receive $19.9 million, making for a discrepancy of $4.8 million. Con adds that BVUSD has already used much of their reserves; at the beginning of this school year, BVUSD had $5.3 million set aside but, given the forecast, there should only be $1.7 million ending next school year. “What puts us in the qualified status,” Con says, “is that the third year fund balance will be negative $371,000.”
To address the need for more cuts at the local level, the Budget Advisory Committee has planned for two full-day meetings, both of which will allow for public comment during the hearing portion of the meeting, which is generally toward the beginning. Those BAC meetings will take place on Monday, March 29, from 8am to 5pm, and on Wednesday, March 31, from 8am to 4pm; both meetings are scheduled to take place at the school district offices at 42271 Moonridge Road in Big Bear Lake.
Update: The Board of Trustees has also scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, March 30 at 5:15pm, during which time they may authorize a contract for parcel tax consulting services; should the district propose a parcel tax to help fund education programs at Bear Valley Unified, this may be on the November 2010 ballot of the Statewide General Election.

Community Members Offer “Respectful, Passionate, Supportive” Comments to School Board at March 17 Meeting

Big Bear Lake, CA — Given this week’s pink slip notifications to teachers, mandated state-wide, last night’s meeting of the Board of Trustees for Bear Valley Unified School District drew a number of community members—including students. As school budget cuts, including staffing issues, were not on the agenda for the March 17 meeting, the school board was unable to comment, though was receptive to those who spoke to current issues, including the March 15 notices that were issued to 36 of 134 BVUSD teachers. According to Superintendent Dr. Nancy Wright, “Students, staff and parents were advocating for programs, teachers, their principals, and what’s important to them in their schools, which is having choices for programs, and to be able to be on a path after graduation. They were very respectful, very passionate and very supportive.” The action items on the agenda for the school board meeting covered the general business of BVUSD, though the Trustees did continue the discussion on the feasibility of a parcel tax, an idea proposed by Trustee Ken Turney during a November 16 meeting when budget cut recommendations were adopted. Per Dr. Wright, “The Board requested that the administration follow-up with companies that have conducted parcel tax elections, and ask them specific questions as we determine what the next steps are for pursuing additional funds for the school district. Administration will also contact two companies, to request a proposal for their services with a detailed outline of what those services and costs would be.” BVUSD is pursuing options right now, and have not yet decided to implement a parcel tax; a decision will be made at a future meeting, once proposals and costs to implement are submitted. Should a parcel tax to assist in education funding be presented to the residents of Big Bear Valley, it would go on a future ballot, with the earliest possible being that of the Statewide General Election on November 2.

“It’s Heartbreaking”: 36 Teachers Affected by Yesterday’s School District Notifications

Big Bear Lake, CA — Teachers across the state of California received pink slips yesterday, indicating that their positions could be eliminated in the 2010/2011 school year. Of those nearly 22,000 employees of public education, 26.8 are from among the Bear Valley Unified School District which, at present, employs 134 full-time teachers. In a conversation with BVUSD’s Superintendent Dr. Nancy Wright, she explains, “There were 26.8 FTE, which means full-time equivalency, but the reduction enforced actually impacts 36 people—so 36 received notice from BVUSD on Monday. Of those 36, some may get a reduction in hours, but it will depend on the program and schedules. The final decision will have to be made by May 15. It changes hourly based on what the state is doing, but our staff is dedicated and very skilled in determining what our financial picture will be as we begin the new funding year in July.”
Superintendent Wright goes on to explain that of those 26.8 certificated positions that may not return in the coming school year, some of those teachers may have reductions to, say, two periods or teaching half-time. “It will be a period over the next six weeks that will determine our enrollment,” she says, “as families are leaving or coming in to the district. We are developing the budget on the assumption that we will lose 100 students of our just over 2,800. Last year, BVUSD developed the budget based on the assumption of 73 students leaving because of the economy and, this fall, it turned out that we lost 191 students because of the financial crisis in the job market.”
Reduced student numbers translates to less ADA funding for the district and, as they make efforts to remain fiscally solvent, there have been cuts beyond the potential reduction of staffing. BVUSD has reduced or not replaced positions in the district office, management has taken salary rollbacks in furlough days, the librarian’s role at Big Bear High School has been reduced, and adult education services will be eliminated in 2010/2011. Adds Dr. Wright, “So much has been cut before. We have continued to reduce our staff and services over the last three years, while we have also been spending our reserves to keep what we have in place. Funding for public education has diminished greatly, so that we are forced to increase class sizes and eliminate programs. In spite of all the difficulties, in spite of the challenges of trying to continue to offer a comprehensive education for every student, I do believe that, collectively, our community and our staff will join together as they’ve done in the past and help us to implement some creative solutions and offer the best education that we possibly can under the circumstances. I know our staff will continue to do whatever it takes with the students in their classrooms, and I know that our support staff and our leadership team will continue to look to the future to provide the standards of education that our community expects and that our students deserve.”
Still, the pink slips have been issued to 36 this week, as mandated, and Wright is first to concede, “It is heartbreaking to know that we are impacting people’s lives, families and careers and that we are impacting the quality of education that we can provide our students.”
Going forward, the Superintendent says, “We welcome input from our staff and community and encourage them to attend our meetings.” Upcoming meetings, during which time there will be room for public comment, include this evening’s Budget Advisory Committee meeting at the school district offices on Moonridge Road at 5:30pm (and again on Mondays, March 22 and 29) and Wednesday’s school board meeting, also at the D.O. and scheduled to begin in open session at 6:30pm.

Twenty-Six BVUSD Teachers Among Nearly 22,000 Receiving Budget-Prompted Pink Slips Today

Big Bear Lake, CA — Nearly 22,000 public school employees will be receiving pink slips in California today, March 15, and, of those, 26 are teachers employed by the Bear Valley Unified School District. Each year on March 15, school districts are legally required to notify staff if their positions could be eliminated in the coming school year. In anticipation of this deadline, on March 3, BVUSD’s Board of Trustees voted to increase teacher-student ratios in the 2010/2011 school year, per Budget Advisory Committee recommendations to address budget cuts; this decision, which was followed by a March 4 statement indicating the trustees’ “deep regret for the action they were required to take,” eliminates 15 full-time teacher positions at the elementary level, eight at Big Bear Middle School and 3.8 positions at Big Bear High School. In a statement issued by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today, he says, “Our state budget crisis has forced districts to lay off thousands of teachers over the past few years. The Governor has proposed cutting another $2.4 billion from public education. While the education community opposes these cuts, our schools are forced to prepare for this potential outcome by issuing a massive wave of potential layoff notices. To date, 21,905 pink slips have been issued to teachers and other staff around the state this year. While I understand the Governor and the Legislature have tough decisions to make, these budget cuts are devastating our schools and impacting our ability to do the most important job in our society—that is, to teach our children.” The 26 receiving pink slips from BVUSD are among the 134 full-time teachers employed by the district. School staff and community members who would like to contribute input regarding budget issues will have opportunity tomorrow, as the district’s Budget Advisory Committee meets at 5:30pm Tuesday evening; the March 16 BAC meeting will be held at the school district offices, located at 42271 Moonridge Road in Big Bear Lake.

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