Budget Reductions mtg Monday March 2nd
Please note we added a Special Board meeting for this Monday, March 2nd at 6pm. You are welcome to attend, speak, or watch online.
Agenda is posted here: https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes
It includes:
1. a list of possible budget reductions by item and cost
2. a draft PKS list - this is the list of positions to receive pink slips
(What is a pink slip? the state of CA requires all certificated employees to receive a "pink slip" notification by March 15th. This tells the teacher/staff that his/her position "might" be lost due to reductions for next school year. It is not a final decision, as the state doesn't give their final budget until May, and then school districts vote on their final budget for 2020-21 in June)
Our districtwide budget reductions are targeted at $21.1 million for 2020-21. See the Budget Presentation and recommended list here, and feel free to email the board and superintendent with your feedback, or speak at the board meeting.
You'll see on slide 15 that after additional administrative and departmental cuts, the remaining target is now $14.5 million.
Together we'll prioritize as best we can for students!
p.s. I was at a school board training on Friday, where I heard from so many other districts that are also needing to make massive cuts right now, and some are even consolidating schools. It was clear that this is truly a statewide issue of vastly underfunding public education.
What else can you do to help? Please call the governor and all state legislators who represent our district, to ask them to significantly increase funding for public education immediately.
Here is a phone list from the grassroots Contra Costa Coalition to Fund Education Now - bit.ly/FENWcallscript
(follow them on Twitter @cccfunded - Frustrated with cuts in your school district? Seeing them in nearby districts too? Enough is enough. Call the Governor TODAY plus every state legislator that represents MDUSD: bit.ly/FENWcallscript #FundCAEd )
List of Possible Budget Reductions - coming soon
Dear community,
I've received hundreds of emails in the past few days asking us not to cut certain programs or positions. Please know that I have received and am reading each message in detail, but it will take time to reply to each one. Your perspectives are all so important and valuable to these heartbreaking decisions. Thank you for taking the time to speak up.
In the meantime, I want to be sure you know that at the Board meeting on Monday Feb 24th, the staff said they would provide 2 items by this Friday Feb 28th at 5pm:
1. a list of possible budget reductions by item and cost
2. a draft PKS list - this is the list of positions to receive pink slips, which our board is scheduled to vote on at our Monday March 2nd board meeting.
(What is a pink slip? the state of CA requires all certificated employees to receive a "pink slip" notification by March 15th. This tells the teacher/staff that his/her position "might" be lost due to reductions for next school year. It is not a final decision, as the state doesn't give their final budget until May, and then school districts vote on their final budget for 2020-21 in June)
Thanks to staff diligence, our budget reductions are now targeted at $21.1 million instead of $22 million. They continue to work to find any/all savings possible.
We added a Special Board meeting for this Monday, March 2nd at 6pm, specifically for budget and PKS decisions. You are welcome to attend, speak, or watch online. Agenda will be posted here: https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes
What else can you do to help? Please call the governor and all state legislators who represent our district, to ask them to significantly increase funding for public education immediately.
From the grassroots Contra Costa Coalition to Fund Education Now (follow them on Twitter @cccfunded ) -
Frustrated with cuts in your school district? Seeing them in nearby districts too? Enough is enough. Call the Governor TODAY plus every state legislator that represents MDUSD: bit.ly/FENWcallscript #FundCAEd
Districts across CA are in the same boat, reducing budgets and cutting positions and programs that are crucial and valuable, but that simply are unaffordable when the state funds districts at significantly less than the expectations and obligations it sets for us.
Feb 2020
Did you see that MDUSD is looking at approximately $22 million in necessary budget cuts?
Here are details and actions you can take:
1. Community Input on Budget - attend final meetings TONIGHT
2. Fund Ed Now - call the Governor
3. African American Awareness Month - share your actions & photos
4. Superintendent letters & Next School Board meeting
Community Input for Budget Decisions
Attend meetings TONIGHT!
Thursday, February 20th - 5:30 pm Riverview Middle School Multi Use Room
Thursday, February 20th - 7 pm Pleasant Hill Middle School Multi Use Room
Visit https://mdusd.org/budgetsolutions for details, presentations, surveys and more.
Can't attend in person? You can still give your ideas online in English or Spanish at bit.ly/mdusdfeedback
Fund Education Now
Fund Education Now Week is over, but our advocacy has just begun. This week, take 5 minutes to call the governor & our local state legislators.
- --> Call to say that MDUSD is right now needing to make $22 million in cuts due to years of state under-funding of public schools. A Stanford 2018 study showed that to simply fund a basic level of adequacy for CA public schools, there should have been an additional $25 billion of state investment. For MDUSD that would be an additional $150 million! If the state even invested one quarter of that, we could keep and grow opportunity for our students. Urge the state for #FullandFairFunding of public schools.
- Governor Newsom (916)445-2841
- Asm Tim Grayson (916)319-2014
- Asm Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (916)319-2016
- Sen Steve Glazer (916)651-4007
- Bill Dodd (916)651-4003
Stay involved!
- Follow @CCCFundEd and @MtDiabloUSD on Twitter
- Visit www.cocoschools.org/cccfunded
- --> Share your story on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram about what significant cuts could mean for your classroom or school, and copy/paste these tags: @GavinNewsom @BauerKahan @AsmGrayson @Steve_Glazer @BillDoddCA @CCCFundEd #FundCAed
African American Awareness Month
The school board passed a resolution on January 27th in recognition of February as African American Awareness month. This includes encouraging all schools to "commemorate the occasion with appropriate instructional materials. My next blog will feature a compilation of student, parent, teacher and staff actions in Mt Diablo schools for African American Awareness month.
Do you have a photo or story to share? Please send it to me and I'll include it!
Superintendent’s Friday Letter
Read Superintendent Dr Martinez’s February 14th letter here, including celebration of Silverwood Elementary's Distinguished School Award, and the following Mt Diablo winners from Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 6:
- Classified Leader - Dominic Machi
- Adult Education Administrator - Cynthia Paige Endo
- Special Education Administrator - Jenny Vargas
These are always posted at mdusd.org and on Facebook & Twitter. To receive them as emails, write to [email protected] to request to be added to the Superintendent’s email list.
Next School Board meeting February 24th
Budget discussion will continue, including data & results from surveys & meetings. Visit https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes to see the agenda when it is posted, and all meeting agendas & videos.
Thank you to all who are participating!
Sincerely,
p.s. OGMS 8th grade students organized a successful Community Immigration Fair this month!
Tough Budget Decisions
Did you miss yesterday's MDUSD school board special budget meeting?
It was chock full of information and a road map for tough decision ahead. Here's a summary with links to how you can get involved.
1. Schools & Communities First Initiative
2. Community Input on Budget - answer online survey this week
3. Fund Ed Now Week - post your story on social media
4. Mt Diablo Community Against Vaping - join this new Facebook group
5. Superintendent letters & Next School Board meeting
School Board endorses Schools & Communities First ballot initiative
We began the meeting by unanimously passing a resolution endorsing Schools and Communities First Initiative, which is gathering signatures now for the November ballot. We join a long list of supporters including CTA, MDEA, and national PTA. Learn more & get involved at www.schoolsandcommunitiesfirst.org
Next, CBO Lisa Gonzales gave an in depth report of state impacts on our finances.
Community Input Plan for Budget Decisions
District staff then laid out a full plan for community input & engagement around tough budget decisions. See the new Budget Solutions district webpage at https://mdusd.org/budgetsolutions for details and please
--> fill out a quick online budget survey there in English or Spanish, open until this Friday Feb 7th, 5pm.***
That page also links to https://mdusd.org/communityforuminvitations - in person opportunities for you to give input. In addition to presentations at existing committee meetings, the community and staff are invited to the following meetings:
Tuesday, February 18th - 7 pm Ygnacio Valley High School Multi Use Room
Thursday, February 20th - 5:30 pm Riverview Middle School Multi Use Room
Thursday, February 20th - 7 pm Pleasant Hill Middle School Multi Use Room
Thank you all for sharing your perspective online, in person, in English or Spanish or other translation as needed. Please share this out and bring your friends/colleagues to the table too. The more voices involved, the better decisions we can make.
(p.s. Yesterday's budget mtg is online. Watch video, see agenda here: https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes)
Fund Education Now Week Feb 3-7, 2020
This week is Fund Education Now Week! Join parents, students, teachers, superintendents, school board members in Contra Costa and Alameda counties - the more voices the better - in contacting our state legislators and the governor.
Join us!
- Follow @CCCFundEd and @MtDiabloUSD on Twitter
- Visit www.cocoschools.org/cccfunded
- --> Share your story about what education funding looks like in your classroom or school on any social media, and copy/paste these tags: @GavinNewsom @BauerKahan @AsmGrayson @Steve_Glazer @BillDoddCA @CCCFundEd #FundCAed
In other news...
Mt Diablo Anti-Vaping Group Forming
Also last night, Monument Youth Alcohol & Drug Coalition (MYADC) presented at YV High PTSA meeting about a new group forming to help parents, students & community encourage cities within Mt Diablo school district to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping devices.
--> Join their Facebook group here: Mt Diablo Community Against Vaping.
Learn how to contact city council members and speak at meetings to encourage them to take action as soon as possible for the health of our youth in Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Clayton, Pittsburg and Martinez .
The FDA, CDC, and California Department of Public Health have issued health alerts urging everyone to quit vaping altogether, no matter the substance or source.
Superintendent’s Friday Letter
Read Superintendent Dr Martinez’s January 31st letter here. It includes resources to prevent Human Trafficking that you can bring to your school.
These are always posted at mdusd.org and on Facebook & Twitter. To receive these as emails, send a message to [email protected] to request to be added to the Superintendent’s email list.
Next School Board meeting February 10th
District staff will present results of this week's budget survey. Visit https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes to see the agenda when it is posted, and all meeting agendas & videos.
As always, share your ideas with our board via email or attend and speak at our board meetings.
Sincerely,
Community leaders & partners are so important in this work for our students!
Here I am with my EmergeCA sister Tiffanee Jones, who shared her powerful story at the 32nd District PTA Gun Violence Prevention Forum.
And Antioch Council member Monica Wilson hosted #RedSandProjectAntioch to raise awareness for Human Trafficking. You can bring this hands on project to your school to protect even more kids.