Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Patch: State Budget Cuts Leave Schools w/ 50% LESS Transportation Funding

State Budget Cuts Leave Schools with 50% Less Transportation Funding

Transportation funding was the hardest hit in schools’ budgets as the state’s revenue shortfall triggered mid-year cuts.

School districts faced another round of funding cuts, this time mid-year, as the state fell $2.2 billion short of the predicted $4 billion in revenue.

School transportation funding suffered
 a 50 percent cut to save the state $248 million, Gov. Jerry Brown announced in December.
K-12 education funding was the last area Gov. Jerry Brown intended to cut despite having to reduce the state’s deficit. If the state had met its revenue requirement, no cuts would have been made.

If the state accrued $3 billion, the state would have reduced funding for UC schools, Cal State Universities, community colleges, K-12 transportation and child care. But because actual revenues came up $2.2 billion less than predicted, K-12 additionally faced cuts. 
The Sequoia Union High School District, which received more than $619,000 in total transportation for the 2010-11 school year, will have just over $325,000 cut in the upcoming year.
California is the first state to completely eliminate state funding for school bus transportation. Out of the three public elementary school districts in Menlo Park, Ravenswood would be the hardest hit, with $43 less per student. That amounts to total reduction of almost $190,000.

The following table breaks down the impact to school districts throughout San Mateo County.
School DistrictRegular Transport. State AidSpecial Ed Transport. State AidTotal State Aid for Transport.Potential CutCut per ADA student
San Mateo County Office of Education$0$3,183,492$3,183,492$1,671,926$0
Sequoia Union High$491,156$128,581$619,737$325,477$40
Ravenswood City Elem.$357,717$0357,717$187,868$43
Cabrillo Unif.$328,986$0$328,986$172,779$54
South San Francisco Unif.$0$319,565$319,565$167,831$18
San Mateo-Foster City Elementary$226,153$0$226,153$118,772$12
San Mateo Union High$192,393$26,277$218,670$114,842$14
Jefferson Elementary$216,200$0$216,200$113,645$17
Redwood City Elementary$7,688$173,578$181,266$95,198$11
La Honda-Pescadero Unified$148,009$0$148,009$77,732$219
Las Lomitas Elementary$130,025$0130,025$68,287$61
Pacifica$54,762$0$54,762$28,760$10
Menlo Park Elementary$45,656$045,656$23,978$11
Jefferson Union High$44,265$0$44,265$23,247$5
San Bruno Park Elem.$24,299$0$24,299$12,762$5
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elem.$21,596$0$21,596$11,342$4
San Carlos Elem.$17,580$0$17,580$9,233$3
Brisbane Elem.$12,548$0$12,548$6,590$12
Burlingame Elementary$4,046$0$4,046$2,125$1
Millbrae Elem.$2,078$0$2,078$1,091$1
Bayshore Elementary$20$0$20$11$0
Hillsborough Elementary$0$0$0$0$0
Portola Valley Elementary$0$0$0$0$0
Woodside Elementary$0$0$0$0$0
School districts must finalize their budgets by June 30, and still adhere to a federal legal obligation from Assembly Bill 114.

Will you be affected?? How can we better allocate money to fund transportation? 
You can find the article here: 


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