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Amid ongoing concerns about the lack of a pay raise plan for teachers frustrated with low salaries, San Bruno School District officials rejected an annual government budget bill.
The Board of Trustees of the San Bruno Park Elementary School District voted 2 to 3, with Board President Andy Mason, Vice President Andriana Shea, and Trustee Jennifer Blanco opposed to rejecting a budget proposal for the upcoming school year.
The vote comes weeks after the school community gathered outside district headquarters to show solidarity with educators who claim their salary schedule of $ 39,000 a year to $ 61,000 a year is insufficient.
Shea, who attended the rally, had asked the trustees in an earlier budget study meeting for a forecast of what it would cost the district if the board approved pay increases of between 5 and 10 percent.
During the last meeting, she requested this information again and was advised by the administrators that it was confidential as it was part of the contract negotiations, while Superintendent Jose Espinoza said he would consider returning with it at a future meeting.
In the absence of the requested information, Shea said during the voting name that she could not support the proposal for a balanced budget with income and expenses of $ 32.3 million for the current fiscal year.
“Not until we see this plan. I’m sorry no, “Shea said.
Mason and Blanco, who had previously shared their support for examining teacher increases, eventually joined her with dissenting votes.
According to the board’s decision, officials will meet again on Wednesday, June 30th, before the July 1st deadline, to make another attempt to approve a spending plan for the coming fiscal year.
Trustee Henry Sanchez, who voted for the budget with Trustee Teri Chavez, noted that education laws require districts to pass a budget annually or face serious financial consequences such as loss of state and county funds.
“If we don’t approve the budget, we won’t stick to it,” said Chavez.
The school district is no stranger to financial disputes as officials have long struggled with a limited budget that has historically paralyzed operations.
To address the financial shortcomings, officials closed some neighborhood schools with the intention of moving to a district with larger, regional campuses.
As part of this effort, officials are breaking ground for a new campus for Allen Elementary School. The project, which is expected to cost $ 50 million, will be funded with proceeds from a $ 79 million bond approved in 2018.
The plan is to build 13 standard classrooms, three kindergarten rooms, a preschool, rooms for scientific, technical, technical and mathematical curricula, a library and new meeting rooms. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.
Regarding the district’s financial planning, officials approved the hiring of Isom advisors to guide the voting process to assess voter support for a package tax.
Regarding some trustees’ desire to pay teachers more, officials have suggested using the proceeds from a package tax to increase salaries for educators. In previous discussions, the pollster indicated he would recommend that the tax be pursued next year.
In other areas, officials made a proposal to overturn a previously approved censure against Blanco. The matter will be reconsidered at a future meeting.
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