Petaluma City Schools Board of Trustes is expected to vote this month on the school district’s budget for the coming school year – a budget that will include $ 2 million in cuts Due to Federal Covid-19 funding that ends.

As discussed by board members under their 28 Jan -MeetingThe Board is expected to receive recommendations from the district’s budget counseling committee – which has the task of designing a new budget each year to be presented to the Board – at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, February 11. These recommendations will include which positions will be eliminated from the budget 2025-26 as part of $ 2 million in cuts.

Board members are then expected to give feedback at the meeting on February 11 and decide whether to proceed with the recommendations or change them to be voted on during the Board of Directors February 25.

If the elected board of five members decides to make changes, the Budget Advisory Committee is expected to fulfill February 13 to further discuss the Board’s feedback and refine its recommendations for a final resolution. But if the board members agree on the coming Tuesday that no changes are needed in the recommendations, it is possible that a binding budget voting will be rejected that night.

“Our district has a legal requirement to send out Rosa Glider to the employees working in the eliminated staffing positions by March 15, so we must complete these budget cuts before that date,” explained the Board of Directors Mady Cloud in an e -mail message to Argus – Courier.

Although it is not a likely scenario, if the Board does not approve the budget committee’s recommendations from February 25, another special meeting may be called before the second week in March.

“The Board should give me clear guidance at the meeting February 25, as there are many moving parts,” said assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Jason Sutter During the board meeting January 28.

“Technically, we have another board meeting on March 11, which still gives us a narrow window to act, but it should be reserved if there are one or two small changes. The majority of all notifications I have to give to the staff, we should be clear by February 25, so that we have enough time to work with our staff in a way that is respectful. “

Sutter added, “The more time we have, the better jobs we can do to support our staff through that transition.”

The recommendations

Although school district officials have facilitated public meetings to get input As the members of the Community consider should be financing priorities in the budget 2025-26, a copy of current budget recommendations is not available for public display or even, apparently, for board members themselves.

“It is still my understanding that the final recommendations from the Budget Counseling Committee will be available three days before the meeting on February 11,” Cloud said. “The legal requirement is that (meeting) the agenda is published at least three days (72 hours) before the public meeting. The Board has no access to that information in advance. “

A district survey published at the end of last year received 846 responses, with approximately 71% of the responses from parents, 23% from certified district employees and about 12% from classified employees. The respondents ranked mental health support for students as a highest financing priority, followed by the school’s safety and preparedness, support for students with disabilities and student knowledge.

Subjects that received less priority in the survey included summer school support, additional administrative support and Assistance in providing district transport for school -related and leisure events.

These results were presented to the Budget Counseling Committee, which consists of three members of the California School Employing Association Union, three members of the Petaluma Federation of Teachers, three website administrators, three members of the community and a classified administrator.

Given the feedback, the Committee has discussed and developed a list of positions to reduce the annual operating budget by $ 2 million to cover an estimated deficit as a result of elimination of federal financing in response to the pandemic.

“At present, it seems that $ 2 million in cuts would now avert the need for cuts next year,” board member Caitlin Quinn told an email to Argus-Courier. “But it is only based on forecasts of registration and state funding and can always be changed according to the will of the state government or if the registration was drastically dipped.”

Amelia Richardson is a staff writer for Argus-Courier. She can be reached at [email protected] or 707-521-5208.