May 6, 2005

HIGH SCHOOL SCENE

2005-2006 ESUHSD deficit closed

Budget Task Force concludes six months of meetings

By Stephanie Foo
Times Intern

The 2005-06 East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) deficit has finally been closed according to the latest budget worksheet calculations created and presented by the administration to the Budget Task Force on May 3.

“It was like a bad dream, a nightmare, but here we are, waking up and not facing such a budget gap anymore,” says Board President J. Manuel Herrera about solving the problem that at one point reached to about a $9.5 million deficit.

The administration’s latest budget assumptions will be presented to the board for consideration at the next school board meeting Thursday, May 19.

The budget includes the recent bargaining changes made with the East Side Teacher’s Association which will increase class size by three students as well as state money that may be allocated to schools by Governor Schwarzenegger in his May budget revision. The May revision is expected to be released around mid month.

Other cuts include stand-ardizing/consolidating photocopying, sending special assignment teachers back to the classroom and reducing site supplies by 10 percent, topics that the Budget Task Force had covered previously.

New developments reduce deficit
The revised budget numbers included a few new changes since the last BTF meeting held April 19. First, the federal government restated the consumer price index at 4.23 percent.

“It’s possible the consumer price index will change, but it will be in our benefit,” assures Interim Chief Financial Officer Jerry Kurr. Since the state bases teachers’ cost of living adjustments on the CPI, this could save the district as much as $400,000.

The administration also proposed distributing the cost of retiree health benefits to various restricted and categorical funds. Previously, all retiree health benefits were paid from the unrestricted portion of the General Fund, the basis of the fiscal crisis.

Kurr recommended distributing the expense of retiree health benefits so that the General Fund doesn’t bear the full burden. This could relieve the General Fund of about a $750,000 expense, while still allowing retirees to collect their benefits.

“It’s only in the last several days that this was identified.” Herrera noted that “$750,000 is a significant number, and I appreciate that the administration is continuing to find ways to reduce the deficit.”

The Budget Task Force seemed to be in favor of this plan.

The district, however, is not completely free of its dilemma. The board decided to borrow $6.1 million from the Quimby land sale adjacent to Evergreen Valley High School to pay for the debt accumulated during this school year.

“We assume we’re going to pay that back,” says Kurr. “We can roll that over certain amounts of time, but we have to pay it back. The district has to keep that in mind …We alternately have state legislation that continues to look very promising, which could allow us to have, on a one-time basis, the Quimby land sale money to pay off the $6 million.”

BTF gets mixed review
Some committee members, however, said they feared the committee was a “waste of time.” They expressed concerns that the proposal does not represent the beliefs of the committee and that they should express their thoughts on a proposal in addition to the administration’s plan.

“I don’t feel we have really reached a consensus. I don’t want to be a scapegoat—for people to say, ‘Oh, but the Budget Task Force said this and this and this.’…I think Mr. Herrera is resisting having the group form a consensus and that’s getting in the way of making some very clear recommendations of what the group is making for the district,” says Budget Task Force committee member/drama representative Gary Berg.

Herrera explained that the Budget Task Force’s immediate focus would be to close the process on a limited response, urging some modifications to the administration’s latest calculations, based on concerns raised by classified staff. To bring full closure to the process, he suggested reconvening in the fall to create a “priorities framework” or an instrument to work from budget challenges arise.

Others believe the task force meetings were a key to finding a solution.

“I’m hearing that all our efforts were in vain. That’s not what happened,” says Evergreen Valley High School parent/committee member Frank Biehl.

“We’ve used an entirely different process and that has had a significant affect on the administration and the board already. I don’t see any advisers being cut or librarians being cut. We’ve had a significant affect on the administration’s thinking on what they were going to cut,” he added.

Editor’s note: Based on these new calculations, all the pink slips previously distributed to full-time certificated staff have been rescinded.

Wednesday, May 11

Silver Creek’s PTSA elections

The next Silver Creek High School (SCHS) Parent Teacher Student Association meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the school library. 

Since Silver Creek High School is one of the few high schools in the area that still has a PTSA organization, stakeholders involvement is critical to keep it going.

The May 11 meeting is important because it includes the election of PTSA board members, as well as an opportunity to meet college counselors to help incoming and current SCHS students determine the required high school course work for college entrance.

Thursday, May 26

Second ‘Education in Evergreen’ meeting

Emcee Hunter Elkins also appeared at the first meeting

A follow-up community meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, May 26, on the Silver Creek High School campus in the main gym, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. so that you can peruse a display of academic program accomplishments by Silver Creek students and teachers.

Topics to be addressed include:

The AATK Activity Framework - David Tang
All About The Kids is a Political Action Committee that assists the Evergreen Community in reaching its educational goals. The AATK Framework defines a broad set of possible community initiatives, their relative timelines and strategies. The Framework adds structure and organization to community efforts aimed at improving academic choice, academic quality and academic performance.

A Charter High School in our Community - Judy Herns
Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The “charter” establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school’s mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The very successful High Tech High will be used as an implementation model worthy of community consideration.

The Truth about Silver Creek High School - Art Darin
As the new principal of Silver Creek High School, Art Darin steps you through a closer look at the wealth of outstanding academic programs offered as part of the school’s curriculum. Silver Creek High School not only offers excellent standard coursework, but also specialized programs that prepare students for graduation, university and beyond. The ACE initiative will be kicked off. ACE (Academic Achievers, Critical Thinkers, Effective Communication) is an alignment of the school’s academic goals and objectives into a single focused effort.

Evergreen parent Ed Wong

Supporting Silver Creek High School thru PTSA - Ed Wong
In these uncertain times the funding for critical academic programs is often at risk as administrators are forced to balance ever-decreasing budgets. While ballot measures, in the form of Parcel Taxes, offer the community and its schools the possibility of relief, these have not recently been successful. Luckily, other equally effective alternatives exist that allow community support of specific schools. The Silver Creek High School PTSA represents such an opportunity. Year-end and annual fundraising drives of $10,000 and $100,000 will be announced. Introduction of “Creek” Alumni the Honorable. George Shirakawa, Trustee East Side Union High School District.

Questions and Answers
Those in attendance may complete and submit written questions to the presenters. All questions not answered in the meeting will be answered in a post meeting report to be posted at www.allaboutthekids.org.

Results of first meeting
According to the All About the Kids Web site, community reaction to the first “Education in Evergreen” meeting held March 23 was mixed.

Some attendees expressed a heightened sense of alarm, as they described what they believed to be a sort of hopelessness in resolving educational issues. Others felt more energized by the lack of clear answers and direction, wanting to take a more active role in community initiatives.

To download a full report, go to http://www.allaboutthekids.org.

EVHS Music Fundraisers May 7 & 22

Music programs are almost completely funded by parent-run booster clubs and must be self-sufficient. The costs for uniforms, instruments and instrument maintenance, utility equipment for marching bands and even payment for buses and trucks to haul this equipment can run into tens of thousands of dollars every year.

To raise this money, the Evergreen Valley High School Band Boosters has announced two upcoming fundraisers.

May 7 EVHS band garage sale
Don't miss the first annual EVHS band garage sale in the student parking lot at EVHS on Saturday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Student groups will perform music throughout the day and food will be available as well. There will also be a drawing for many items that have been donated by local business, so stop by and buy some raffle tickets. All proceeds will go directly toward purchasing 100 new band uniforms and a badly needed equipment trailer.

May 22 Big Band concert
This year's fundraising concert includes the EVHS Jazz Band and the Musician's Warehouse Big Band, with special guest drummer Louie Bellson. It takes place on Sunday, May 22, 2 p.m., in the EVHS theatre, 3300 Quimby Road.

Despite all the cutbacks in school programs this year, EVHS offered its first Jazz Band class, comprised of 25 students performing music of Glenn Miller, Herbie Hancock and others. The Musicians Warehouse Big Band is a 20-piece band made up of some of the top local professional musicians. They will be performing big band music of the 40's through the present including arrangements from the Louie Bellson Big Band.

Louie Bellson, an Evergreen resident, is a jazz drummer legend who has made more than 200 recordings and performed with everyone from Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie to James Brown, Tony Bennett and his own late wife, Pearl Bailey.

At the age of 15, he pioneered the double bass drum set-up and at age17, won the Gene Krupa drumming contest over 40,000 other drummers. He has composed more than 300 compositions and written many books on drums and percussion. He also received the prestigious American Jazz Master's Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994.

Reserved seat ticket prices for the Big Band Concert are $15 and $10 for seniors and students with ASB card. Tickets can be purchased on the EVHS Web site www.evhsband.com or by calling band director Jason Marshall, (408) 347-7034.

Thursday, May 19

EVHS Cougar Classic Golf Tournament

The Evergreen Valley High School (EVHS) Athletic Booster Club is sponsoring one of its major fundraisers of the year, the annual EVHS Cougar Classic Golf Tournament, on Thursday, May 19. It will be held at the Los Lagos Golf Course, 2995 Tuers Road, in San Jose.

The booster club is looking for players in foursomes, at $100 per player. In addition to a great round of golf including the car, each player will receive a barbecue dinner and a free T-shirt. What a deal!

The booster club is also looking for event sponsors who would like to advertise their company on a tee as well as on a T-shirt for just a $125. All proceeds will go to the Girls and Boys Athletic programs at EVHS.  

Entry forms are available via the Web site at e: http://www.evhscougars.com/.

Just print out the entry form, fill it out and mail it in with your entry fee to Evergreen Valley High School, Attn: Dee Quinet, Golf Tournament Chair, 3300 Quimby Raod, San Jose, CA 95148.

For more information, you can contact Quinet at (408) 347-7166 or (408) 710-2618 (cell). Or contact Jane Brehmer at (408) 896-6570 or jane_ brehmer@amat.com.