We Think the Best Public Policy to Deal with This Problem Has Multiple Components

Our Policy

We think the best public policy to deal with this problem has multiple components.

Part 1: First, we think the Elk Grove School District should help raise money for library technicians as much as they have helped raise money for sports. The district has set up a web-page for the sports program to raise money. The district seems to have advertised budget cuts for sports more than they have advertised cuts to library technicians. We want the district to actively advertise and attract more attention to their problem. The district has created a “Donate” button for the library technicians, however, they have failed to make it publicly known.

Part 2: Second, we think the district should dedicate energy savings money toward library technicians. Currently, schools will share approximately $100,000 from this program. This money could purchase the services of four or more library technicians. That doesn’t replace all 57 library technicians, but it still helps.

Part 3: Third, the district and various bargaining units have been negotiating concessions. We suggest a portion of a furlough day be directed toward library technicians. Each furlough day saves the district approximately $1.25 million. An entire furlough day could save most library technicians. We would like to see an entire furlough day earmarked for library technicians, however, we would settle for less than a full furlough day. Some library technicians are better than none. Another way to possibly save library technicians would be to encourage the district and bargaining units to consider across the board cuts rather than eliminating specific jobs or classifications.

Part 4: Fourth, we think the district should keep some library technicians and have them rotate between schools. This is not ideal, but it’s better than cutting all library technicians. Currently, nurses and school psychologists rotate between schools. Next year, vice principals will also be rotated between schools.

Part 5: Fifth, and most importantly, we think students and parents’ voices have not been heard enough throughout the process of suggesting budget cuts. We learned in an email from Shelly Loller in EGUSD Fiscal Services that:

“Finance Committee members are appointed by the superintendent and board members…Finance Committee members are appointed for a two year term… One student representative from each high school is invited to participate on the Finance Committee (representative is selected by the school they attend.)”

We recommend the following actions for students:

· Elementary and middle school students should be allowed to participate, too.

· Middle and elementary students could serve on an advisory committee.

· Middle and elementary students should have a right to vote under certain conditions to be negotiated.

· Three students from each Trustee Area should be chosen: one elementary, middle, and high school student per area.*

o This would mean 21 students would represent all the students in the EGUSD.

o Students would be chosen by their school. Principals would meet and decide who would be the best student to represent a specific region.

o Students would serve a 2 year term. Elementary students would have to be in the 4th or 5th grade. Middle school students would have to be in 7th grade. High school students could be in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade.

We recommend the following actions for parents:

· That the parents of elementary, middle, and high school students also be included in an advisory committee.

· Parents should have a right to vote under all conditions.

· Three parents from each Trustee Area should be chosen: one elementary, middle, and high school parent per area.**

o This would mean 21 parents would represent all the parents in the EGUSD.

o Parents from each region would be chosen by the appointment process. The Board would appoint one parent per region. The Superintendent would appoint one parent per region. The schools could vote for the third parent in each region.

· Parents would serve a 2 year term.

We recommend the following actions be taken by the Board Members and our Superintendent:

· The bylaws for the Finance Committee should be amended.

o Article VII, Section 1 currently reads:

§ “The Staff Liaison will inform the Board of all Committee vacancies. The Board member or Superintendent shall then appoint a replacement member to the Committee in the same manner that initial selections are made.”

o We suggest this section is changed to read as follows:

o Article VII, Section 2 currently reads:

§ “Replacement members will be appointed as needed to complete unfilled terms.”

o We suggest this section is changed to read as follows:

§ “Replacement members must be appointed within 30 days of leaving the committee as needed to complete unfilled terms.”

· We suggest Article IV, Section 1 of the Finance Committee Bylaws should also be amended.

§ Article IV, Section 1 currently reads:

o We suggest this section is changed to read as follows:

Finally, we think students and parents’ voices have not been heard enough throughout the process of suggesting budget cuts in the Budget Reduction Committee. We learned in an email from Shelly Loller in EGUSD Fiscal Services that:

“The Budget Reduction Committee is through invitation by the superintendent and associate superintendents to ensure there is representation in all certificated, classified, and management areas… The Budget Reduction Committee convenes as needed and participants are not secured for a specific length of time… There are no student representatives on the Budget Reduction Committee… The Budget Reduction Committee has no pre-determined limit to the number of committee members… The Budget Reduction Committee does not maintain formal minutes, but there are notes generated by which the district’s various departments use to gather data as necessary.”

We recommend the following actions be taken by the Board Members and our Superintendent:

· The Budget Reduction Committee should be changed.

o There should be minutes recorded and made available to the public. These minutes could be posted on a webpage on the EGUSD website.

o There should be formal bylaws for this committee.

o Membership should be based on “the appointment process” and not by “invitation.”

o Members should serve for a two year term.

o Students should be selected for an advisory position similar to how they should be chosen for the Finance Committee. (see page 1)

There are various advantages for our proposed policy.

First, fundraising to pay for library technicians generates money outside the budget. This is good because it doesn’t add to the district’s debt.

Second, using energy savings money to fund library technicians is good because that money was previously going to S.M.U.D., Sacramento Municipal Utilities District, to pay for wasted energy.

Third, dedicating a portion of a furlough day to library technicians would allow library technicians to receive a fraction of the $1.25 million saved in just one furlough day. We could save almost all library technicians with one entire furlough day.

Fourth, increasing the number of parents and students on the Finance and Budget Reduction Committees would give the committees and the district a different perspective on our financial situation. Why? There would be more kids and parents participating making their voices heard.

Finally, by amending the Finance Committee’s bylaws and forcing the Board and Superintendent to replace absent members quickly, it makes a full committee which means everybody’s voices are heard.

There are some disadvantages to our policy.

First, it’s “possible” to fundraise money to save library technicians, but it’s not very “probable.” Raising $1.7 million before July 1 starting in June is most likely not going to happen. Fundraising is unpredictable. As of June 2, 2010, our library technician told us the L.E.T.S. Program has only raised about $1,500.

Second, some principals would not like to give up their share of the energy savings money to library technicians. They would like to use this money for other things for their school sites.

Third, if we were to use money from concessions, all of the bargaining units must agree to dedicate the money from a full or partial furlough day to library technicians. This is possible but hard to achieve. Negotiating this year has been challenging. Nothing has been easy this year.

Rotating library technicians around the district would be a challenge. Library technicians will have to travel from school to school which means more money used for gas and more pollution caused by driving. Time slots for classes will be small because there are fewer library technicians but the same number of students to take care of. Finally, keeping some library technicians will “eat up money” and not help the district cut the budget.

Finally, getting more students and parents involved in the Finance and Budget Reduction Committees means more people which could cause more disagreements and slow down the progress of the these committees. More ideas are good and bad. They’re good because there are more people with different experiences and ideas that could help these committees. They’re bad because they could mean more arguments and things to think about.

The level of government that would be responsible for carrying out our proposed policy would be the special district level of government—the Elk Grove Unified School District.

The Budget Reduction and Finance Committees are district committees. The Finance Committee is authorized by Article 1, Section 1 of the “EGUSD Finance Committee Bylaws.” The Budget Reduction Committee was authorized by the EGUSD School Board. It is an “ad hoc” committee. Ad hoc literally means “to this.” Figuratively, it means it’s a committee only focusing on one purpose: reducing the budget.

Since the School Board made these committees, they have the authority to change these committees, too.

Finally, the State of California could indirectly help with our problem by giving school districts more funding, but they wouldn’t directly deal with the problems we’re studying because it’s not there responsibility and they don’t really have the authority to do it.

The policy being proposed is constitutional.

Our proposed policy does not violate anyone’s freedom of expression. In fact, the most important part of our policy is trying to increase the voices of parents and students in our district. By adding more students and parents to the Finance and Budget Reduction Committees, we hope that they will represent our interests more.

Part 3 of our proposed policy might violate a person’s right to property. We suggested a partial or full furlough day be used to save library technicians. This is something that would have to be negotiated by both the school district and bargaining units. The district can’t just use concession money for anything they want to. Nobody’s life is being endangered. Nobody will be killed or injured by our policy.

Our proposed policy does not violate anyone’s right to privacy. But the Budget Reduction Committee’s right to privacy would be somewhat limited, because our policy recommends they take minutes and make them public. The Brown Act, however, states that the public has a right to know what the government is doing. So, we don’t think we’re unfairly invading anyone’s privacy.

Our policy does not violate anyone’s rights on the basis of race, religion, age, ethnic group, national origin, or gender. In fact, our policy is actually trying to get younger kids more involved in committees in our school district. Most of the kids who have been invited don’t even show up to the meetings. We’re also trying to get older people to join the Budget Reduction and Finance Committees. So, we don’t think we’re unfairly violating anyone’s rights.