By Michael Hernandez
THOUSAND OAKS—Next year’s (2019-2020) Conejo Valley Unified School District general fund expenses are projected at $195 million with estimated general fund revenue of $188 million according to the budget presented at the June 18th district board meeting. The district is mandated to carry reserves of $9 million and is projecting an ending balance next June of over $13 million. (Editor’s Note: For budget information go to: www.conejousd.org.)
The majority of the school district’s actual revenue is generated by a Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which showed actual revenue of $155 million as of April 30. As of this date, the State had added $7.4 million, local revenue had generated $6 million and the district had received $1.4 million from the federal government.
The largest actual expenses (as of April 30th) were total certificated salaries of $74.8 million, with total benefits costing $38.3 million, total classified salaries of $22.2 million, contracted services and other operating expenses of $14.5 million, and total books and supplies of $4.2 million.
The CVUSD is projecting it will receive $8.4 million for the enrollment of high needs students (foster youth, English learners, and low-income students) next year. Some 9.3 percent of all students receive special education services; 9.5 percent receive English Learner Services; and 25.7 percent receive free or reduced meals.
The CVUSD has 17 elementary schools including one K-8 school and one home school program (K-5), four magnet schools, four middle schools, three high schools, one continuation high school, and one online-hybrid school (6-12). The school district is represented by National Blue Ribbon Schools, California Gold Ribbon Schools, and California Distinguished Schools.
The four district goals are as follows:
- Implement targeted actions and services that support positive student outcomes (Student focused);
- Ensure highly qualified and effective staff are provided with targeted professional development and have an understanding that all job responsibilities are structured to support positive student outcomes (internal focused);
- Provide communication and targeted outreach that informs the community of programs and opportunities that support positive student outcomes (community focused); and
- Enhance the social, emotional and physical well-being for all students through targeted actions that support positive student outcomes (student and school focused).
The California School Dashboard reported on 11,903 eligible district students with 1,771 graduates in the 2017-2018 graduation cohort. The state dashboard shows that 449 students were suspended during that same year.
Michael Hernandez, Co-Founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service, founder of History Makers International—a community nonprofit serving youth and families in Ventura County, is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. He has worked 25 years as a middle school teacher. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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Lets tell the real story regarding CVUSD revenue, expenditures, ADA, test scores, etc. For the past 10 years, CVSUD has received a large sum of funding due to higher property taxes (30M extra) and LCFF Funding 3.7% COLA and Gap Funding 2018-19. In 10 years, this district has lost 2604 students in ADA, @31M in revenue. It have received 51M in 10 years in additional funding (252m in 2017-18) and expenditures have risen 72M (283m in 2017-18), 80 cents of every 1 dollar goes to highest salaries (86K ave), million dollar each pensions and health care cost (20% increase each year). Each receives a 40% benefit rate, taxpayers pay on average 117K per employee in this district. School teachers make on ave 96K a year and increasing. Superintendent was paid 372K last year. Many salaries in 120-150K range, per Classified employee. In 2017-18, district had 1978 employees. After losing 2604 ADA students, it reduced employees by 91, adding 67 high priced Administrators, reducing teachers 113, 45 reduction in Certified. In 2019-20, after planning to lose 7M (actually 9M), they plan to hire more teachers (+10), 42 more Certified. They plan this year to lose only 89 in ADA, when they average over 260 ADA for the past 10 years. Based on out of control spending and no management of spending, it will be out of Reserve in less than 2 years. SARC results in both ELA and Math test scores dropped 12-15% in 2018-19 in local area, over 50% of students don’t meet standards in this district. LCAP goals not being met, as required by State law, in many schools, with no consequences, no loss in funding, status quo. No one monitors or controls budgets, overruns are ignored, no one questions any expense, legit or not. Bond funding is not required, we pay twice for infrastructure, in Property Taxes and then again in Supplemental Taxes. All that 300M additional funding went toward salaries and pensions, not the classroom. Recap. Funding up 51M, spending up 72M, ADA down 2604 (31M in lost funding), hiring flat for 10 years, increasing in 2019-20, while losing 200 plus ADA. District plans to lose 9M this year, not 7M, lost 5M in 2018-2019, with no explanation, its not required. ELA and Math scores down 12-15% from the previous year, are flat for 20 plus years, actually test scores are going down, less students are able to meet standards for ELA and Math. School Board, Superintendent, Business Superintendent, Asst Superintendents solution to all these issues? Place head in sand, ignore losing ADA students and funding, dont address over and out of control spending, no value added spending, no evaluation of costs, is it working or not? There solution is to give more pay increases 1-2% in 2019-20, 20% increases in pensions and health care, more money for textbooks not required, spend, spend, spend till there is nothing left, no pay for performance, its not required in secular humanist public schools, status quo. When will parents start going to hold this School Board and staff, holding them accountable for ignoring their fiduciary duty to manage CVUSD? How to stop ADA loses, fiscal mismanagement of budgets and expenses, horrible curriculum, no discipline in schools, salacious books taught with left wing ideology, teaching far left wing ideology (sex education, climate change, Capitalism and Constitution are evil, majority is evil, Forefathers are evil, etc. Teachers are not teaching math, reading, writing, history, etc, due to poor test scores, 50% don’t meet the standards. We pay 16K per child, each taxpayer, 13 years per student, or $208,000 per child for public education. Average family of 2, we pay $416,000 for K-12 public education. When overpay for education, children not receiving an appropriate education, as required by State and Federal Law. When are we going to start to care, hold them all accountable? I will see this when pigs fly, its time to get involved and start caring about our children’s future.