BHUSD Readies Budget Cuts Should Props 30, 38 Fail

Beverly Hills Unified School District officials are preparing to make up to $6 million in cuts to the district’s $52 million budget if Propositions 30 and 38 both fail to pass on Nov. 6.

The propositions seek to send more money to the state’s public schools. Voters can vote for both; if both pass, the proposition with the most votes becomes law. If neither proposition passes, there are dire predictions about the future of California’s education funding. 

Proposition 30, supported by Gov. Jerry Brown, would raise the personal income tax rate for those who make more than $250,000 a year and would also raise the state sales tax by a quarter cent for the next four years. It would generate an estimated $6.6 billion for state education at all levels. Click here for more information on Proposition 30.

“The proposed cuts the governor is threatening if Proposition 30 does not pass include midyear cuts, and would be debilitating to our district,” Board of Education President Brian Goldberg said Monday in an email to constituents urging them to vote for the proposition.  

Proposition 38 would increase the state income tax rates for most Californians on a sliding scale, resulting in projected increased revenues of about $10 billion a year. Revenues would go towards K-12 schools and early childhood programs, as well as some of the state’s debt. Unlike Proposition 30, Proposition 38 sends no money to state universities. Click here for more information on Proposition 38.

While “the proposition does not fix the problem of public education funding, it is the best chance our district has of avoiding up to $6 million in cuts,” Goldberg said in his email. He also warned that “whether or not Proposition 30 passes, BHUSD will be funded below the level of funding it received in 2009-10.”

The budget cuts under consideration include eliminating staff positions not required by the state. At a budget study session held in July, BHUSD staff released a list of such positions. They include assistant principals, counselors and librarians at all five schools.

“We hope not to have to consider implementing these cuts," Superintendent Gary Woods said at the time, noting that passage of Proposition 30 would ease the funding pressure.

As a basic aid school district, BHUSD gets the majority of its funding from local property taxes. The city also spends almost $9.7 million a year on district schools through the Joint Powers Agreement. State funding, however, still accounts for up to $7 million a year of the BHUSD’s budget.

Check back with Patch for election coverage of the state propositions and for the implications of the propositions’ passage or failure.

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