Comments on: Just when you thought the budget couldn’t get leaner http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/ Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools Wed, 22 May 2013 01:35:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Turner http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/comment-page-1/#comment-15294 Turner Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:30:20 +0000 http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/#comment-15294 One CFO says $1.5 million; the other says $4.7 million. They are both right because it’s all budget and budget is all subjective depending on how conservative you are. Still, it’s all smoke and mirrors. It’s all in the budget and budget is just a guideline on how to spend the money. The central office has always been disconnected from the principals and how the schools actually spend money.

So they predict all these deficits for the fiscal year, and then end up in the black. Don’t take my word for it. Check out the last fiscal report. We ended with $43 million as the bottom line. Granted a lot of that was categorical but it was still unspent.

Now, legally, we are supposed to have a 2% reserve but we have been unable to do that. But, really, looking at the books, there is NO deficit.

]]> By: Katy Murphy http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/comment-page-1/#comment-15293 Katy Murphy Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:04:37 +0000 http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/#comment-15293 The CFO of the school district says there’s a deficit of $4.7 million.

]]> By: Katy Murphy http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/comment-page-1/#comment-15292 Katy Murphy Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:55:42 +0000 http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/#comment-15292 Jennifer: That’s true, but the K-12 system is not impervious to cuts. Paul Warren from the Legislative Analyst’s Office said that with a two-thirds vote, the state Legislature can suspend Prop. 98. That could mean no cost-of-living adjustment for schools in 2008-09. It happened about three years ago, and at least once before that.

The California Teachers Association agreed to the suspension the last time, but then there was a big fall-out in 2005 between the CTA (and, seemingly, everyone else in the K-12 system) and Schwarzenegger over “broken promises” and the amount of money the state owed the school system. There was a lawsuit and a big payout.

That’s probably way more than you wanted to know.

]]> By: turner http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/comment-page-1/#comment-15291 turner Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:48:40 +0000 http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/#comment-15291 I disagree, Katy. OUSD does NOT have a deficit. It ended the last fiscal year with a healthy balance.

Now, all we need to do is exercise good judgment in budgeting and spending.

Turner

]]> By: Jennifer http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/comment-page-1/#comment-15290 Jennifer Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:45:44 +0000 http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/11/15/just-when-you-thought-the-budget-couldnt-get-leaner/#comment-15290 I believe that this is why we tied the Governor’s hands by mandating a minimum school funding.

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