Next IUSD school year might be shortened by 1 month

I recently received an email from the PTA of our IUSD elementary. Despite all the furlough days already put in the calendar plus fundraising, donations, increased class sizes, axing programs, etc., it looks like they might need to cut back a whole month. Wow.

"Dear [School] Parents,



Unfortunately the economy is still squeezing the funding the school districts are receiving from the state.  For us at [School], we are looking at the possibility of 1 MONTH of furlough days for the coming school year!  Yes, 23 furlough days is the number currently be considered for all Irvine schools.  Add that to the bigger class size that our teachers have already ended up with this year, and it's hard to imagine what our children will miss with such a short school year.



PTA is urging you to contact your local politician today so they hear your voice to preserve education funding.  These folks work for you, so let them know what is important to you and your little [child]."

SoCal78 said:

I recently received an email from the PTA of our IUSD elementary. Despite all the furlough days already put in the calendar plus fundraising, donations, increased class sizes, axing programs, etc., it looks like they might need to cut back a whole month. Wow.

"Dear [School] Parents,



Unfortunately the economy is still squeezing the funding the school districts are receiving from the state.  For us at [School], we are looking at the possibility of 1 MONTH of furlough days for the coming school year!  Yes, 23 furlough days is the number currently be considered for all Irvine schools.  Add that to the bigger class size that our teachers have already ended up with this year, and it's hard to imagine what our children will miss with such a short school year.



PTA is urging you to contact your local politician today so they hear your voice to preserve education funding.  These folks work for you, so let them know what is important to you and your little [child]."

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Where's TIC and Donald Bren when the IUSD needs them most???

USCTrojanCPA said:

Where's TIC and Donald Bren when the IUSD needs them most???

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Sorry, they are too busy building new homes on top of each other like sardines in a can, stuffing more kids into unsustainable classrooms. I know they've donated but apparently it isn't enough to cover the overtaxed system they're enabling / exploiting. 

At first, I was confused by the email because I thought IUSD had switched to the Basic Aid funding model in 2009, which is based on property taxes in lieu of state aid. After reading more in IUSD news, it seems they did, however, they I think they have switched back to the Revenue Limit formula.

Don't worry... as long as the FCBs keep buying... Irvine schools will be okay.

TIC won't let one of their marketing items falter.

irvinehomeowner said:

Don't worry... as long as the FCBs keep buying... Irvine schools will be okay.

TIC won't let one of their marketing items falter.

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SoCal78 said:

USCTrojanCPA said:

Where's TIC and Donald Bren when the IUSD needs them most???

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Sorry, they are too busy building new homes on top of each other like sardines in a can, stuffing more kids into unsustainable classrooms. I know they've donated but apparently it isn't enough to cover the overtaxed system they're enabling / exploiting. 

At first, I was confused by the email because I thought IUSD had switched to the Basic Aid funding model in 2009, which is based on property taxes in lieu of state aid. After reading more in IUSD news, it seems they did, however, they I think they have switched back to the Revenue Limit formula.

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You hit the nail on the head, with TIC stuffing more and more housing units onto an average acre (whether it be an apartment, condo, or home) the student loan population will start increasing faster than the schools can handle them and they will need to build more schools and hire more teachers. 

Property tax revenues aren't down as much as other cities and Mello Roos only keeps going higher and higher for new developments....so what's the deal (question for all your TIC lurkers)?

irvinehomeowner said:

Don't worry... as long as the FCBs keep buying... Irvine schools will be okay.

TIC won't let one of their marketing items falter.

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Simple math my friend, the more housing units they try to pump into an acre the more crowded and adversely effected the schools will become.  I don't hear about other surrounding school disctricts who don't have the TIC muscle behind them having to do this step to shore up their budgets.  I'd be steaming if I were a parent and asking a lot of questions of where my Mello Roos dollars are going (for the homeowners with childs). 

You're not familiar with the problems that Capistrano has?

Again... I'm not as worried because I was here when they tried to get Measure A passed (basically a school tax only on homeowners) and it failed and everyone cried that teachers were going to be jobless. Bren and many other Irvine businesses stepped it up and "saved" them.

irvinehomeowner said:

You're not familiar with the problems that Capistrano has?

Again... I'm not as worried because I was here when they tried to get Measure A passed (basically a school tax only on homeowners) and it failed and everyone cried that teachers were going to be jobless. Bren and many other Irvine businesses stepped it up and "saved" them.

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I don't follow problems of other school districts, but Irvine shouldn't be in the hole it's in.  Property values have remained sticky while Mello Roos keeps going up on new home developments, so where's the problem coming from???  This shouldn't be happening in Irvine.

Sure hope Donny and TIC step up because they are one of the contributors to the problem as they've made enough profits from their 2010 home collection to share the wealth.  I just hope they don't keep jacking up the Mello Roos on later developments to try to play "catch-up" on the costs of building new schools and hiring new teachers. 

USCTrojanCPA said:

I don't follow problems of other school districts, but Irvine shouldn't be in the hole it's in.

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So then I'm not sure what you mean about this?

USC said:

I don't hear about other surrounding school disctricts who don't have the TIC muscle behind them having to do this step to shore up their budgets.

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What school districts have TIC "muscle" behind it and are not having problems? Why should Irvine be any different if expenses are exceeding funds?

USC said:

Property values have remained sticky while Mello Roos keeps going up on new home developments, so where's the problem coming from???  This shouldn't be happening in Irvine.

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Just because prices are sticky, doesn't mean the problems in the economy just skips Irvine.

USC said:

Sure hope Donny and TIC step up because they are one of the contributors to the problem as they've made enough profits from their 2010 home collection to share the wealth.  I just hope they don't keep jacking up the Mello Roos on later developments to try to play "catch-up" on the costs of building new schools and hiring new teachers. 

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I'm not sure how they "contribute" to the problem other than building homes in a city that has demand for it. Are you going to blame 5 Points and The New Home Company once the Great Park and Lambert Ranch are built?

I think we need to identify exactly what the "problem" is rather than just say TIC is the one to blame.

For what it's worth - here is the rest of the info that was included in the e-mail. There are attachments that contain information on rallies that will be occurring soon as well as more info regarding the shortfall.

"----------CALL FOR ACTION - BUDGET CRISIS IMPACT FOR IUSD --------------------------------------

Please be aware that both in the joint IUSD/ITA meetings and the most recent budget discussions, significant cuts to programs, staff and the possibility of 23 furlough days has been raised as a possible outcome.  In response to this, Irvine Council PTA is joining units across the entire state of California on May 11th in one last chance to make a difference in Sacramento.

PTA is urging you to help in the following ways:

1) PLEASE READ THE FLYERS BELOW AND RESPOND by calling, emailing or faxing your legislators;  Assemblymember, Don Wagner and Senator, Tom Harmon.

2) Consider attending Assemblymember Wagner's Community Coffee on Saturday, May 7th 2011, 9am-10:30am at 21682 Johnstone Dr, Lake Forest, 92630 and let him know personally how the cuts are affecting Irvine and that you value education.

3) Attend one of the Education Coalition rallies on May 9th in Fullerton or May 13th in San Diego. (Flyers are attached).

4) Write a letter or simply print and sign the attached postcard and send it to your legislators (Simply write their name in, the address is on the postcard).

5) Educate yourself - For a better understanding, read the attached "additional information" regarding the budget issues.

6) Circulate this information to family and friends.

There is still time to make our voices heard, but only if we act swiftly!

Thank you for standing up for our schools!

If you have any questions, please email me personally or  Irvine Council PTA President - Steffanie Early  (steffanieearly@cox.net)




Call, Fax or Email Our Legislators on May 11th
Urge Them to Protect Education and Our Children!

 

Unless our legislators act quickly California?s education budget will be cut deeply!

(est. $4-5 billion effective July 1, 2011)

What does this mean to Irvine Unified School District?

Approximately $22 million dollars in cuts!

Note: this is in addition to more than $30 million in cuts over the last 2 years. That would be over $52 million in cuts over three years. Irvine has previously weathered financial storms, however, the impact these cuts will have is unprecedented. Difficult decisions will have to be made regarding your child?s education.

How could these cuts impact the classroom? 

?  Fewer days of instruction (as much as 23 furlough days, or one month of lost school days)
?  Larger class sizes
?  Fewer counselors, classroom aides, and reading specialists, etc.
?  Reduction in music, art, science and/or extracurricular programs.


What Can You Do?            Call, email or fax on Wednesday, May 11th !!!

Tell our representatives that you want swift action to protect education and our children. Now, more than ever, your voice is needed to let our elected officials know that CUT$ HURT KIDS!  What kind of future do we want for our children and our state?   

Contact Info:
Assemblymember Don Wagner (most of Irvine)                Tel: (916) 319-2070          Fax: (916) 319-2170
State Senator Tom Harman (most of Irvine)                      Tel: (916) 651-4035          Fax: (916) 445-9263
Assemblymember Jeff Miller (some of northeast Irvine)    Tel: (916) 319-2071          Fax: (916) 319-2171
State Senator Mimi Walters (some of northeast Irvine)    Tel: (916) 651-4033          Fax: (916) 445-9754

To Call:    It?s a short, EASY phone call.  Below is a brief sample script.

?My name is ____________________.  I am a PTA member in Irvine Unified School District.  I am calling to tell Assemblymember/Senator _____________ that I value education and funding for our schools.  I urge Assemblymember/Senator _________  to put party politics aside and work with all of the legislators and the Governor to find a solution for the budget shortfall that will protect our children and California?s future. As part of that, I call on Assemblymember/Senator _________  to act now to extend the temporary taxes due to expire July 1. 

To fax:  You can write your own letter or use the email text from the link above as a sample.

To email:
Go tohttp://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6485/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3705<x-msg://64/>
Enter your zip code and the website will present two prepared emails for you to edit or use as-is and then send?one for your Assemblymember, and one for your State Senator. It couldn?t be easier to send an e-mail calling for action now to protect education!


Together, we can protect our children?s education!"

bones said:

I agree with IHO.  School budgets come from various sources - I don't understand how IUSD's problems fall on TIC's shoulders.  Then you have the fundamental expense problem at schools which is how teachers get paid.  To me, it doesn't make sense to cut teachers based on tenure rather than performance.  This to me contributes directly to larger class sizes.  Instead of cutting ONE 10-year tenured teacher, the school districts will cut TWO 3-year tenured teachers based purely on years of service.

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Well, if TIC is going to tout that IUSD is so great and benefit from the financial windfall of selling more homes because of it...they sure have a great incentive to shoulder some of the load.  They can't have their cake and eat.  You gotta give a little, to get a little.  You've heard me say it before but I'll ask the question again....where's all the Mello Roos going to and why does it keep going higher and higher?  I want some accountability and transparency because I sure as hell know that infustructure costs have come down along with long term interest rates from the bubble days yet the Mello Roos is higher and higher (that's not even throwing in the fact that they are squeezing more and more housing units per acre in their new developments).  But yeah, makes no sense to cute two less tenured teachers versus one more tenured teacher.  How about do it based upon evaluation and merit instead of seniority (afterall, that's how it's done in the real world)? 

im guessing the teachers themselves can change who gets laid off (tenured vs less tenured) if they change the way their union does business since i think the union agreements dictate how layoffs happen. i could be wrong though.

bones said:

California operates on a "last hired, first fired" system.  It's dictated by state law and collective bargaining agreements.

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Oh yes, good old unions....another topic I can (but wont) go off on.

Given the severity of the California budget shortfall, this is not very surprising. As I've mentioned several times in other education threads, I've been very concerned about the future of California public education, even in Irvine. Many have said Measure R will save IUSD and if not, don't worry since TIC will bail them out--I doubt it.

Things are only going to get worse from here--this fall Gov Brown will bring before voters extending more taxes. I doubt California voters will go for that--which means more cuts to K-12 education!

Instead of paying teachers $100K pay them $75K and you'll have enough money for a full school year.