Budget to dominate Thursday session

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday will begin discussing the 2012-13 budget when it sees a draft of the document for the first time.

But even as they crunch the numbers, Chief Business Official Tim Rahill wrote in a report to the board, those numbers are unreliable.

“The district provides the 2012-13 draft budget information using the information from the Governor’s May Revise Budget,” Rahill wrote in another report to the board.

Figures from the May Revise rely on the voters of California to approve a November 2012 ballot measure that extends certain state taxes. However, “(i)f the November 2012 ballot measure … is not approved, then the Benicia USD could face budget adjustments of about $2M in the 2013/14 school year,” Rahill wrote.

One problem the district is experiencing may directly impact state funding, he wrote.

“In addition to state funding issues, the school district is experiencing a slight decrease in student enrollment and the corresponding decrease in Average Daily Attendance of 23 students. This reduces state funding by about $100,000.”

The turnaround for the board to study and approve the budget is short, Rahill wrote. “In next steps, the school board will be asked to approve the 2012-13 budget at the school board meeting on June 21, 2012,” he wrote.

After a public hearing and discussion, the board will vote Thursday whether to accept state categorical funds and exercise the flexibility to use them for district operations, Rahill wrote in another report.

“State categorical funds are the funds that were previously provided for restricted programs that may now be used for the general operations of the district,” he wrote in an email to The Herald. “Senate Bill X3 4 and SB70 are the Senate bills that were approved by the California state Senate (that) allow school districts to ‘flex’ previously restricted funding and use such funds for the general operations of the district.”

Rahill wrote in his report to the board that it is required to conduct a public hearing before the district may accept the categorical funds and “utilize the flexibility provided through SBX3 4 … during the state’s fiscal crisis to transfer funds in Tier 3 categorical programs for any educational purpose, including certificated and classified salaries and benefits, and supplies, services and capital outlay.”

The Legislature had imposed statewide education budget reductions since September 2008 that have resulted in a significant reduction of essential programs and services to students that are integral to their success, according to the notice of public hearing.

Also Thursday, Superintendent of Benicia Schools Janice Adams will give a report about the status of the district’s Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education application for funding.

The purpose of the Perkins Act, according to information provided by the district, is to develop the academic and career technical skills of students to prepare them for high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations in current or emerging professions.

Perkins supports career and technical education that prepares its students both for post-secondary education and careers of their choice, according to district information.

If You Go
The BUSD board of trustees will meet at 6 p.m. for their closed session meeting, followed by the open session at 7 p.m. Thursday night in the district board room, 350 East K St.

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