Editor-in-Chief
On February 5, the UC High School Site Council (SSC) and Site Governance Team (SGT) reviewed and approved an estimated budget for the 2014-15 school year. Projected decreases in student population from the current school year resulted in an expected teacher reduction.
According to Principal Jeff Olivero, UC High will likely lose four teachers for the upcoming 2014-15 school year. Olivero explained that one teacher will retire, and the other three removals will be individuals from the social studies, science, and computer applications departments.
This expected reduction in teachers is due to predicted student enrollment. “Less enrollment means fewer teachers,” Olivero explained. According to a budget handed out at the SSC/SGT meeting, UC High’s current enrollment of 1,718 students is expected to drop to 1,642 next year. Olivero expects numbers to be even lower than those given. The smaller population expectations affected the projected budget slightly; their effect may be even greater in upcoming years, according to Olivero.
Another noteworthy effect of the budget for the 2014-15 school year includes the school’s counseling staff. Based on enrollment, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) only allocated UC High 3.6 counselor salaries. If SDUSD does not provide sufficient extra dollars to UC High for the 0.4 of the fourth counselor salary, the school will likely use discretionary funds to pay for the remainder of this salary, according to Olivero. The decision to “buy back” the fourth counselor is up to UC High administration.
Olivero explained that he saw a necessity for four counselors to simultaneously deal with articulation, college application season, and the psycho-social needs of students. SGT Member Josh Hashempour said, “I think it’s good to focus on keeping all of the counselors. They never have enough time to deal with what they have to do as it is, so how can we decrease [the number of counselors] when there isn’t enough time for them to get everything done now?”
According to the budget handout, funding for substitute teachers will be cut by approximately 3,000 dollars, discretionary money and instructional supplies allocations will decrease by about 5,000 dollars, and school nurse days will be cut from five to three days a week. Olivero explained that the district will take over costs for administration cell phones and counselors’ early return before school starts.
Title I Funding, designated to schools with low-performing and high-poverty students, by the federal government, will not see a cut for 2014-15; UC High will receive 34,405 dollars for the purpose of closing the achievement gap, according to the budget handout (ed.gov). Of this sum, 14,836 dollars will go towards funding OASIS classes taught by Math Teacher Bernard Steinberger. These classes incorporate peer tutoring and emphasize GPA improvement, according to the SSC.
Olivero said, “[These projections] can feel like a budget cut, but it’s really not. The cuts are caused by the population drop. The pinch is that we will potentially have fewer students. All of this can change. The governor will propose his budget in May; from May to June, the governor and state legislature decide what things will look like next year. In reality, projections could change based on decisions made at state and local levels.”