Paso Robles schools are making $2.3 million in cuts — and an elementary campus may be next
Paso Robles school officials must cut millions of dollars from the district’s budget amid declining enrollment and attendance — which includes laying off teachers, cutting classes and potentially closing an elementary campus.
The district board of trustees on Tuesday night discussed solutions to a $2.3 million budget shortfall at a packed meeting filled with passionate and angry students, parents and teachers.
Paso Robles school leaders have been struggling to dig the district out of a multi million-dollar financial crisis for a year and a half. The board of trustees in 2019 cut $2.1 million from the budget for the 2019-20 school year, which included arts program reductions and early teacher retirements.
The board was set to cut another $800,000 during the 2021 school year, but trustees were forced to approve about $1.1 million in cuts in December.
Declining enrollment and average daily attendance — in addition to rising workers’ compensation and liability insurance costs — mean the board will need to make an additional $1.3 million in reductions, said Brad Pawlowski, the district’s chief business officer.
“The trends continue to indicate we will see declining enrollment,” Pawlowski said.
Pawlowski attributed a California-wide school enrollment decline to a decrease in the nationwide birth rate. However, districts with more money in reserve are in better positions to weather enrollment crises, he said.
Superintendent Curt Dubost also blamed the high cost of living in San Luis Obispo County and Paso Robles — especially expensive housing and its impact on young families.
“We get paid by the state based on the number of students we get,” Dubost said. “And that number is going down.”
Teacher layoffs and program cuts
Board trustees on Tuesday night made required cuts and voted to lay off an elementary-level music teacher and a high school career technical education multimedia teacher.
High school students sporting “PRHS AV” T-shirts encouraged the board not to cut classes and lay off teachers, with many holding signs that read “Save our teacher” and “Don’t kill students’ dreams.”
Trustees also voted to lay off 13 classified staff members, including an occupational therapist, four intervention specialists, a groundskeeper and a custodian.
They also discussed cutting classes at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The eliminated courses could include some physical education classes, at least one drama class and a few high school journalism courses.
French 1 may also be eliminated at the high school, which would phase out that language program.
Elementary school closing?
The board also discussed closing Bauer Speck Elementary School for a year, which would save the district $850,000.
“That is an ongoing cost,” Pawlowski said. “By (closing the school), we would be able to save on operational dollars.”
The school campus is preparing to undergo renovations, and students are currently attending classes in portable units. If the school were to close, students would be spread out among other elementary schools.
Trustees opted to start exploring the closure, but they did not take action at the Tuesday meeting.
Parents and teachers urged board members to think carefully about their decision. Many expressed concerns about forcing vulnerable students to undergo so many changes and separating them from beloved teachers.
Kellymarie Otto said she’s worried about how her son, who’s on the autism spectrum, would cope with switching schools and leaving behind teachers he’s come to rely on.
“Do you want to be the district that fails or the one that overcomes?” she asked.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 10:50 PM.
