Negotiations with teacher’s union seeks budget concessions --

The school district in Hayward may soon suffer the same fate that Oakland’s has in recent years – a state takeover of its budget and administration. The Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) failed to submit a balanced budget to the County of Alameda on the Sept. 8 deadline, though the district is still looking for ways to cut approximately eight million dollars in budget expenses. By state law school districts have to show a balanced budget for its next year and the two following years.

“The budget is still not balanced because we have not reduced the deficit completely,” says school board trustee Jesus Armas. “The county has asked that we continue to look at ways to reduce the deficit.”

Since the vast majority of the budget goes to teacher’s salaries and benefits, negotiations are currently in progress with the teacher’s union. The county has requested that the district keep the county updated on the status of the negotiations.

“We’re in the middle of negotiations with the teachers union and until we reach agreement on that contract we’re not in a position to make substantive cuts on that budget,” adds Armas. 

The district’s website states that, “unless the District addresses its on-going structural budget deficit (spending more than it is receiving), it is highly probable that the District will not have sufficient cash to pay its obligations in 2011-12. If the District continues to project that probability, it may be necessary to apply for a state loan. If in fact the state has to make a cash loan to HUSD, a state administrator will be appointed with the authority to make the changes and reductions necessary in the programs of the District to bring it into budget balance and pay back the state loan.”

Armas, who is seeking reelection to the school board in the November election, pledges to do everything to prevent a state takeover from happening. “We have to avoid state takeover – once they take over, local decisions cease to exist – local control is lost,” he says. “We have to make sure that we’re spending our money wisely.”

Armas cites reductions in state budget allocations to the district as a main reason for the budget deficit of approximately eight million dollars. However, there are other reasons. “We’re seeing declining enrolment which reduces the amount of money available to the district,” he adds. “We’ve also seen some increase in charter schools – the money goes to those schools instead of the district.”

Student attendance is not only an enduring academic challenge for schools, it’s a budget issue. “We need to make sure that our students come to school because revenue to the district is based on attendance,” says Armas. “We have to make sure students come to school every day and we have to get parents involved in the schools and make sure their kids are attending school and helping them with their homework.”