Not Much Left But Employee Costs in Schools Budget #education

Not Much Left But Employee Costs in Schools Budget

Not Much Left But Employee Costs in Schools Budget

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The Trend

San Diego Unified is devoting a growing share of its day-to-day budget to employee salaries and benefits, a pattern echoed across the county and state.

What It Means

The number reflects two trends: How hard the school board has tried to pare back on other costs before slashing staff, and the creeping costs of employee benefits.

The Future

As school districts like San Diego Unified face more deficits, they have fewer things to cut that don’t directly impact staff.

Posted: Thursday, July 22, 2010 2:50 pm | Updated: 7:28 am, Fri Jul 23, 2010.

By EMILY ALPERT

More than nine out of every 10 dollars in the day-to-day budget for San Diego Unified will go to pay employees and cover their benefits this coming school year. That means the school district has fewer things to cut or reduce besides staff as it faces another year of budget cuts.

That number has increased over the past seven years from 83 percent to 90 percent. It's expected to rise to 91.6 percent in two years. The growing percentage is a reflection of two trends: How hard the school board has tried to pare back on other costs such as supplies, travel and outside contracts before slashing its staff, and the creeping costs of employee benefits, even as spending on salaries is cut.

The same trend is happening across the county and state as budgets are pinched. San Diego Unified is one of several large local school districts where the share of the budget devoted to employees is nearing a worrisome level, according to benchmarks from School Services of California, a financial assistance group. Grossmont, Vista, Sweetwater and Chula Vista Elementary districts face the same issue.

Both educators and school finance experts say it makes sense to cut other costs before cutting staff. San Diego Unified reduced its travel costs, stopped paying for exams that can help students get into college, slimmed school budgets for supplies and cut back on summer school materials. Its central offices cut back on computer equipment and outside contracts and reduced their utilities. And the district dipped deeper into its reserves.

"You can have beautiful schools with all the supplies in the world -- but you can't run a school with a skeleton crew," said Bruce McGirr, director of the school administrators union in San Diego Unified.

The data are being eyed closely in San Diego