California OKs budget but stalls on cyber school
CALIFORNIA – The California Area School Board approved a budget without a tax increase and a tentative agreement with its service union, but could not agree on the creation of a district cyber school. One a vote of 8-1, with director Norm Hasbrouck dissenting, the board passed a general fund budget of $14,950,129. Property taxes in the district will remain at 91.07 mills. The budget includes pay increases of 3.5 percent for the superintendent and 4 percent for the other administrators and administrative support personnel.
The board unanimously ratified a tentative agreement with the Service Employees International Union. The details of that contract were not released, pending a vote by the union to accept or reject the contract.
When it came to voting on the job description for a technology integration specialist, the board was split and motions to approve the position and the creation of the cyber school were tabled. Directors John Bayer, Norm Hasbrouck, George Safin and Barry Niccolai voted in favor of the job description, while directors Jennifer Griffin, Tom Russell, Amy Todd, Kerin Watson and Diane Zielensky voted against it.
The issue prompted a lengthy discussion by the board. Board president John Bayer had noted before the vote was taken that approving the job description and the creation of the integration specialist position were integral to the creation of the district’s own cyber school. Bayer noted that the school would pay for itself with only a few students enrolled because of the savings over paying for students who go to other cyber schools.
“We are required to pay $8,600 for each student who attends cyber school and we are not reimbursed,” Bayer said. “It will actually save us money by creating the cyber school and authorizing this position.”
District Superintendent Linda Mancini said there are six students committed to attending California’s cyber school if it is created for the 2010-11 school year.
“That will save us $72,000 and we’ll get the subsidy for them, and the subsidy itself pays for this position,” Mancini said.
The job description called for the integration specialist to have a masters degree or higher, with integration specialist certification. If created, the position would be responsible for facilitating the online classes and cyber school, serve as the classroom technology instructor, train teachers to integrate technology in the classroom and other duties.
Bayer and Hasbrouck said they anticipated enrollment in a local cyber school program to increase, attracting students from neighboring districts without such a program. Hasbrouck said the program has the advantage of allowing area students to use district facilities, such as science labs, that other cyber school programs do not offer.
Russell expressed concerns that the board would be creating a new union position that would be difficult to eliminate in the future if cyber enrollment does not increase. He asked solicitor John Smart to review the job description to make sure the district would not be trapped into hiring someone in the future that did not meet all of the qualifications.
Griffin, who initially said she didn’t have enough information to vote on the cyber school proposal, later said her vote was a definite “no” because she feels student needs are better met in a bricks and mortar school.
The board Wednesday was also divided in its vote to eliminate two Intermediate Unit aide positions due to a decline in special education needs in the district. Directors Hasbrouck, Niccolai, Safin, Watson and Zielensky voted to eliminate the positions, while Griffin, Russell, Todd and Bayer voted against.