Schools

Tonight: School Board to Mull Over $2.5 Million in Cuts

Potential cuts include five furlough days, three buy-back days and the Sonoma Valley Adult School Program.

 

After months of public forums and debates the district board will review a list of cuts to fill in the over $2.5 million budget-gap at tonight's meeting.

On the slash list: five furlough days, nixing three 'class development' buy-back days, cuts to custodial services and the entire Sonoma Valley Adult School.

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Read the full presentation on budget reduction on the SVUSD website, .

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Find out what's happening in Sonoma Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The list of cuts is nowhere near complete. Nixing school days – such as the proposed cuts to furlough days and buy-back days – equals an approximate 4.4 pay cut for district employees and will have to be negotiated with the district's bargaining units, according to the Sonoma Index-Tribune

Also on the cut list:

  • class reductions to 2nd grade
  • cuts to the Core Replacement intervention at El Verano, Sassarini and Flowery elementary schools
  • 50 percent reduction of independent study
  • closing Gateway School for 7 - 10th grade
  • eliminating coach stipends for middle school sports
  • 25 percent cuts to elementary school library technicians

In total, the proposed cuts add up to $2,589,639. The board will discuss the cuts tonight, have a second reading at the Jan. 17 meeting and make the cuts official at a special board meeting, with a date and time to be determined. 

The school board meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room at the .  


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