School Budget Planning is a Juggling Act

Retirement is a huge life decision, and while some may struggle with letting go of a career, others may not only accept it but also give early notice of their resignation to save the jobs of fellow coworkers.

That's exactly what's happened at Soquel Elementary this year.

Leslie Cooper, Shirley Busch and Elaine Love, all from Soquel Elementary School, gave the district early notice of their plans to retire at the end of the school year, according to Kathleen Howard, superintendent of the Soquel Union Elementary School District.

Through their resignation notices, the three Soquel Elementary teachers not only help the school during difficult financial times, but they may have prevented some of their coworkers from receiving the dreaded pink slips.

Schools are required to inform staff by March 15 of each year as to whether they'll have a job for them the following school year. If the administration is uncertain about funding, they have to hand out “pink slips” to teachers and other staff with less seniority.

The problem is that schools often don’t know what their budgets will be in advance, because of uncertainty regarding state and federal funding. There’s also an issue with the state regularly failing to meet its budget deadline—and without any real consequences.

However, there are consequences for schools. If teachers aren't given notice that their jobs could be cut, schools can be held accountable for the positions, even if there's not adequate funding. 

It’s a predicament that puts administrators and teachers in a difficult situation according to Eric Gross, Soquel Elementary School principal, who says school officials are expected to give teachers a plan, even when they lack the information to make it. 

"The state has been increasingly dysfunctional in the last several years, and they never make their own deadline of when they’re supposed to have a budget, which is July 1," Gross said. "We have to start school, open business, without even knowing how much money we have, [and] we don’t have the basic ingredients for making business decisions."

Gross says that even more importantly, the delay in the state budget negatively affects good people, doing good work.

When a school doesn’t know how many openings it will have for the following year, it can be agonizing for newer teachers, according to Gross. In most cases, the teachers want to stay, but the schools often don’t have anything solid to offer.

However, one thing that helps administrators like Gross in this difficult situation is when retiring teachers, such as Cooper, Busch and Love, who are certain of their retirement plans, let the district know in advance that they'll be resigning.

Gross said that while he is sad to see good teachers leave, it’s nice when he can offer a job to a teacher at the other end of the career spectrum. 

Gross wishes he didn’t have to lay off teachers or put them through the painful process of job insecurity. He has had this uncomfortable duty for six years—ever since the beginning of his current position.

While the three teachers who will retire are from Soquel Elementary, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Gross will be handing out three fewer pink slips—because it’s a district consideration.

On Tuesday, several teachers and staff will again be notified that their jobs hang in the balance between federal and state funding sources. Gross will deliver the news with his gentle tone, hoping he can convey the message of how much he values them.