By Heather Murtagh
Erik Oeverndiek/Daily Journal

Sam Johnson, superintendent of the San Mateo Union High School District, talks to students during a walkout Thursday morning. Johnson tried to explain the district's budget situation to the students.

Hundreds of high school students from at least three schools stormed the San Mateo Union High School District offices Thursday morning to protest teachers layoffs, which were approved by the school board later that evening.
Superintendent Sam Johnson was surrounded by students from Aragon, San Mateo and Burlingame high schools demanding answers Thursday morning. The school board was set to make $3.5 million in budget cuts later in the day students came concerned about the impact of these cuts.

How are we supposed to succeed without our teachers?? asked San Mateo junior Jackie Pollard. The 16-year-old was one of the many students who felt compelled to visit the district office in an attempt to get answers.

Students yelled out questions at Sam such as, Why would you hire teachers you can't afford?,? Why should we have to suffer when it's the district's fault?,? and Can't there be some more creative solutions?? Students were distressed by rumors that sports, prom and clubs were also going to be cut.

Johnson assured students many of their questions were fueled by misinformation. Student activities like sports and prom were not on the cut list.

Teachers began cutting off voluntary activities such as extra help for students, club supervision and locking their classroom doors during lunch last week as a protest to the choice of a salary cut or losing colleagues. Teachers chose to stop participating in such events, the district did not have a say in those activities, said Johnson.

Students learned of the walkout through a flier circulated at the various high schools. The same flier gave administrators and parents a heads up of the potential walk out. District parents received a pre-recorded phone message from Johnson Wednesday night urging them to encourage students to voice their concerns on campus at lunchtime, said Associate Superintendent Ethel Konopka.

Many students chose to walk out despite the message.

Burlingame High School senior Joanne Heckenberg wasn't sure the walkout would take place until she heard about it in third period. She decided to leave school at 11 a.m. to take a stand for her teachers.

Senior Kyle Bou was one of about 50 students who left Aragon High School at 9:30 a.m. and walked to the district office.

It's unfair that the teachers will be laid off for someone else's mistake,? he said.

San Mateo sophomore Allison Mazella originally decided to walk out to protest athletic cuts. When she learned of the looming loss of teachers she felt more inspiration to leave class.

– Written by Jen

Please find PDF file posting of Final Budget Cuts posted on SMUHSD website
http://www.smuhsd.k12.ca.us/FINAL.pdf

– Written by Jen

' just got an auto Voice-mail from Sam Johnson about having knowledge of a Student Walkout in protest of cuts, tomorrow. He wants to discourage this activity, and instead ask that students express themselves at noon on campus.

– Written by Jen

For more info, check out this link….

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_4293601

– Written by Jen

A rising tide lifts all boats,? or in this case a falling tide should have brought them all down. The SMUHSD and Sequoia School districts offer similar programs, pay similar salaries and benefits and most importantly receive their funding from the same source, San Mateo County.

If the two districts face similar financial constraints and cash flows then why isn't the Sequoia District also in financial trouble and laying off teachers and staff?

Superintendent Sam Johnson has offered to tender his resignation if the Board asks for it. Why would an innocent man offer to resign this position of leadership unless he held some degree of culpability?

The Sequoia High School District is hurting, but not failing. Why is the SMUHSD mired in a financial dilemma that may take years to heal?

The SMUHSD Board has been elected to serve and promote the public trust and provide a high quality of education. It is time that the Board ask for Sam Johnson's resignation and begin the healing process caused by this financial mess.

– Written by JC

The SMUHSD School Board Meeting has been moved to Capuchino High School

The meeting will still take place on Thursday @ 7:00p.m.

– Written by JC

San Mateo Union High School District
BUDGET FACT SHEET

Background

SMUHSD is a basic aid district. A basic aid district is one whose local property taxes meet or exceed its' per pupil revenue limit. Basic aid school districts are allowed to keep the money it receives from local property taxes including the amount that exceeds the revenue limit apportionment. Budget shortfalls in basic aid districts are not back-filled by state funds. 92% of the SMUHSD's unrestricted general fund revenues are composed of the local property taxes based on property tax projections developed by the County Assessor's office.

Property tax revenue is volatile and subject to dramatic changes. This is due to the cyclical nature of property values. In three (3) of the past four (4) years, property tax projections were reduced substantially after the budgets were adopted by the SMUHSD Board.For the past two (2) years, the District's actual property tax receipts were $4.3M less than the property tax projections received from the San Mateo County Assessor's office. The substantial shortfall was the result of unforeseen rebates and litigation settlements by the county and commercial property owners as a result of the impact of 9/11; e.g. hotels and airlines. As the District reconciled the general fund balance at the end of 2005-2006 fiscal year, it was clear that the unanticipated reduction in actual property tax receipts had eroded its reserves below the state- mandated 3% reserve for economic uncertainty.

District Administration began developing a recovery plan and reduced the 06-07 budget by $1M in non-personnel expenditures. On August 10 a work study session was held for the Board to analyze the budget and embark on a 3-year recovery plan. The District goal was to decrease expenditures by $1M with the least impact on the instructional program. On August 14, the County Superintendent of Schools requested a more prudent time line for a budget that reflected fiscal solvency. The 2006-07 Budget Recovery Plan was to reflect, by September 29, 2006, a $2M ending balance as of June 30, 2007, to receive County Office approval. $3.5M in budget reductions required to achieve $2M ending balance.

Recovery Plan due to County Superintendent on September 29 to receive budget approval. The Administrative Team, CTA, CSEA and the parent community have been notified of current budget challenges.More than 85% of our overall budget is devoted to salaries and benefits. The District presently pays up to $15,000 per employee per year for medical, dental and vision benefits. Employees have received in the last two years, $4,656,235 in salary increases that would not have been negotiated had the property tax shortfalls been known. Employee compensation adjustment for the last two (2) fiscal years by unit:

CTA received $3,144,616
CSEA received $1,069,175
Management and Confidential received $440,444

Compensation is tied to changes in property assessed valuations utilizing a negotiated formula. Compensation increases have been based on the original County Assessor's Assessed Valuation (AV) projections. Historically, the AV projections from the County Assessor's office prior to 9/11 have been accurate. In the past four (4) years, property tax projections were substantially reduced

– Written by Jen

Teachers picket plan to cut jobs (Daily Journal)

Aragon High special education teacher Carl Pastore holds signs after school Monday in protest of proposed budget cuts.Teachers are taking to the streets before and after school all week in an informational picket of the San Mateo Union High School District's budget situation and request more time to create solutions other than firing teachers and staff.

The school board is just days away from its final decision of how to cut $3.5 million from the current school year's budget. However, teachers are optimistic other options are available if enough community members voice their concern and support. Teachers at each of the seven high schools will continue the picketing before and after school until Thursday, when the Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on proposed cuts. The group of teachers hopes the district will consider making minimal, if any, cuts Thursday then ask the County Office of Education for time to restore the reserves, said Aragon High teacher Jean Johnson. However, Superintendent Sam Johnson previously said the district will not consider postponing cuts. On Friday, he called the option irresponsible.?

If the district decided not to follow through with the cuts on Thursday, County Superintendent Jean Holbrook would have the authority to develop and adopt a budget for the district. She could also decide to work with the district to create a budget committee to review the numbers and recommend a solution. The teachers made it a point to keep the politics outside of the classroom. We're not using our classrooms as a soapbox,? said Johnson. The teachers were respectful during the entire process, said Aragon Principal Kirk Black who observed the informational picket after school Monday. They even informed Black of their intention to picket this weekend. Delaying the cuts isn't an option, Black said, unless the County Office of Education offers it as one. The district staff recommended a cut plan Sept. 21 which would eliminate 61 full-time employee positions affecting both classified and credentialed staff. On the chopping block is Aragon history teacher Will Colglazier, who completed his student teaching at Aragon last year. He really enjoyed the staff and the prospect of teaching the same students for his first year of teaching, so he accepted a full-time position at Aragon in May.

New teachers are considered temporary teachers, which means the school district does not guarantee their position for the following year and has the ability to fire that teacher during the school year. Colglazier said he made a conscious decision to keep working hard for his students despite learning he could be packing his bags. We are legally temporary teachers but I don't feel temporary at all,? he said. This is the beginning of my career in education.?

The school board meets 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Capuchino High School Auditorium, 1501 Magnolia Drive, San Bruno.

– Written by Fiona