CHICO — The Chico Unified School District is part of a growing fraternity of financially fragile California school districts.
Information released Monday by the California Department of Education says there has been a 17 percent increase in the number of districts that may not be able to cover their bills over the next two years.
According to the state figures, CUSD is one of 12 districts in the state with a "negative certification," which means "based on current projections, the school district, or county office of education, will not meet its financial obligations for fiscal year 2009-10 or 2010-11.
In an interview earlier this month, Kevin Bultema, assistant superintendent of the Butte County Office of Education, said while the number of districts in economic distress is disturbing, it is worth noting there are roughly 1,500 districts statewide and the number in trouble isn't large by comparison.
Across the board, economic problems for California schools can be traced to years of significant and continuing state funding cuts.
In Butte County, according to Bultema, districts have suffered an 18.355 percent cut in actual revenue from the state since the 2007-08 academic year.
The assistant superintendent said statewide most of the districts are "getting it done," in terms of providing an education and paying the bills.
Since the districts can't control the amount of revenue coming in, their only option in a time of decreasing income is