SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Weeks after other districts in the area started school, students in the Sacramento City Unified School District are finally jumping into the new school year — one that will be closely watched as the district works to avoid a state takeover.
The district's budget is $547.5 million for the coming year, but the main focus is the budget forecast for two years from now. District spokesman Alex Barrios said SCUSD ended the previous school year with a $26 million deficit, that’s the amount it needs to cut over the next couple of years to avoid a state takeover.
Barrios said that officials are hopeful the negotiations with labor partners will continue and prosper in the next couple of months, which would free up resources to have a balanced budget for the next few years.
One of the major concerns from parents is the risk of student programs getting cut, but the district bought itself enough time with previous budgets that there’s no threat, Barrios said.
RELATED:
“The question really is two years from now what will the resource situation look like, but we really don’t want it to get to the point where we are having to cut programs from students,” he said.
The district still has health benefits and labor issues as well, which Barrios says officials hope to resolve this school year. The district says it will look into finding ways to cut costs and overspending. Anyone who is interested in staying updated with the negotiations, can do so online.
“We really want to give everyone all the resources to stay informed and we really don’t want our staff members to pay attention to these issues and focus on our students instead,” Barrios said.
Outside of the district’s budgetary issues, officials are also debating whether to start the school year sooner than its late-August start. The district proposed that the next school year to begin two weeks earlier, around the same time as other districts, Barrios told ABC10.
READ MORE FROM CARLOS HERRERA:
Barrios said the district hopes to make a decision and announce a new start in the coming months, with four of five of its labor partners having already approved the change.
“It would have many benefits for students, because they’d be able to participate in programs, job and college courses over the summer,” Barrios added.
New tool for parents
SCUSD is launching a new mobile app that helps parents keep track of their kids’ academics. You can download the Infinite Campus Parent Portal App on your smartphone and access your student’s records, attendance, grades, class assignments and other important information.
Reminder for drivers:
There’s also a new speed limit in Safe School Zones, which is 15mph in school zones. SCUSD partnered with the city of Sacramento for this initiative that’s “all about our students’ safety,” Barrios said.
The district notified all parents about this change via phone calls, emails and social media.
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Carlos Herrera.