School Board Approves Cut-Heavy Budget for Next Year

After several months of fevered planning, the board approved a fiscal year 2011-12 budget for the district with little discussion Tuesday.

District officials said the budget, which reduces spending by $34.2 million including 582 layoffs, could be modified pending resolution of California's budget crisis.

The district, one of the state's largest, expects to face a $40 million decrease in state funding and will use one-time funds to bridge the remainder of the gap, said district spokesperson Elizabeth Graswich.

Board president Priscilla Cox said that while the district is required to submit its budget to the Sacramento County Office of Education for approval, board members still hope to make changes if Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislators reach an agreement that sets aside more dollars for education.

"This is being submitted to the county, but because the state budget isn't approved, there's an enormous amount of room for adjustment," Cox said at the board's regular meeting Tuesday. "This is not written in stone at all."

According to the school district's Budget Watch page, with the addition of the latest round of cuts, the district's budget has been reduced by 36 percent over the last four years.