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Are Northwest Schools in Fiscal Distress? February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 
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Are Northwest Schools in Fiscal Distress?
Rumors or Facts? I heard two bombshells on Friday, 2/15/2008, which made me concerned for the education of our children here in the Northwest and I was hoping that I could get some answers from others on the board. First, I heard that Rosedale layed off about 30 teachers and that they will be doing away with reduced class sizes. Apparently they are $2.5 million in the hole with their reserves with the state. Does anyone know when or if this is happening? Second, I heard that about a dozen Kern County Schools, including Fruitvale, Norris and Beardsley are on the State Watch list for financial reserves issues and that they are close to being taken over by the state within the next few years unless they can build their reserves back up. Apparently being taken over by the State is the last thing you want to happen to your school. Class sizes are increased, employees are reduced down to a skeleton crew, buses no longer run. Is this true? HELP!!! This is overwhelming since most parents I know moved to the Northwest because of our top schools. We paid more for our houses to be in good districts and the information that our schools are having financial problem now, even before the state budget cuts, is all brand new to me. 2 comments from 2 users
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posted by
sunnica
on Feb 18, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Wow! This is an unbelievable BLOW if any of this turns out to be true. Is there an administrator who can verify or discount these rumors? Living in the Northwest, we love having great schools with great teachers. I would hate to learn that some of these amazing educators could lose their jobs. Let's find out about this. posted by
anonymous
on Mar 3, 2008 at 02:26 PM
As an administrator in one of the districts mentioned above, I can tell you that this next fiscal year (July 2008 - June 2009) will be difficult financially for all of the school districts in California. Let's not minimize the impact that the proposed budget cuts will have - UGLY is a good word. Layoffs will happen in most districts, but not all. HOWEVER, it is extremely rare that the state actually takes over a school or district. EXTREMELY RARE - like 1 or 2 out of 1100 in California. Sometimes this happens because of financial problems, and sometimes this happens because of instructional problems. I think it is fair to say that even with the state budget cuts, none of the NorthWest districts are in danger of this happening. We are in much better shape that many school districts across the state. Increased class sizes will likely be a reality in most districts to make up for having to lay off teachers. While this is troublesome, it will be a necessity for the time being. Is it likely that your student's education will be greatly impacted? Probably not. We're talking about adjusting classes from 20 to 24 kids on average, or 30 to 35 kids for the older grades. While the larger classes do cause more stress for the teacher, a good teacher will still be able to do a good job in those conditions. After all, they did not so many years ago when we didn't have Class Size Reduction at all. While some school staff will be laid off this year, it is reasonable to assume that the jobs will work their way back into the budget eventually. Until then, it's more work for already burdened school personnel, but for the most part, they will be the same personnel that you have counted on in the past, delivering the same learning environment that you moved here for.
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