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Saturday, January 23, 2010

Cuts needed amid S.F. schools' $113 million gap

Cuts needed amid S.F. schools' $113 million gap:


"San Francisco schools are facing a $113 million budget shortfall over the next two years - a staggering figure that would mean layoffs, cuts to popular programs like summer school and increases in class size."

Superintendent Carlos Garcia announced the projections Wednesday in a letter to San Francisco Unified School District staff and at a teachers union meeting.
Garcia said there will be layoffs, but the number of teachers and staff members released will depend on what else is cut. Given the shortfall, however, the district can't avoid pink slips.
"Inevitably you're not going to cut $113 million without a single person laid off," he said Thursday. "We want to get it down to as few people as possible."
The district's projected shortfall is $30 million more than previous forecasts and reflects the latest numbers in the governor's proposed budget.
Garcia said he will lay out a specific plan to address the cuts at Tuesday's school board meeting, but his list is likely to include cuts in the district office, summer school and busing, increases to class size, and employee furloughs and layoffs.
"These numbers are large, and they will be devastating," Garcia said in his letter. "The cuts that


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/22/MNCG1BLM6G.DTL&type=education#ixzz0dS6SVwhs