๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ต
The district is running a $๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐, under state oversight, and cut $114M last year. Another round of cuts hits by June. Their own budget page warns that funding raises with one-time dollars “would destabilize the District and result in worse outcomes for both students and educators.”
So naturally they did it.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ “๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ” ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ป’๐
The union pointed to a $๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ต๐ “๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ” as proof the district can pay. That number is fund balance, not reserves. Half of it is restricted funds locked to specific federal and local programs. The rest is one-time money already earmarked to plug the structural deficit and prevent layoffs. Once it’s spent, it’s gone. The actual reserves? $๐ญ๐ฏ๐ต๐ , well below the state-recommended 17%. Using one-time dollars for permanent raises is buying a house because you have a down payment with no idea how to cover the mortgage.