CUSD budget hearings begin Thursday

The Cabrillo Unified School District board is holding a series of public hearings to discuss its developing budget crisis and possible remedies, in addition to regularly scheduled Board meetings scheduled for January 14 and February 11.

The four special public hearings have been scheduled for 6pm over the next few weeks.  The first hearing is Thursday night at Farallone View in Montara.

• Thursday, January 21: Farallone View Elementary (Multi-Use Room)
• Monday, January 25: El Granada (School Library)
• Tuesday, February 23: Hatch Elementary (Multi-Use Room)
• Thursday, February 25: District Office Board Room

From the press release:

Like school districts throughout California,  scrambling to respond to a structural budget deficit of nearly $2.5 million… and some key decisions will need to be made over the next two months in preparation for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year.

“It is incredibly frustrating,” CUSD Superintendent Rob Gaskill noted. “If we were funded at the appropriate level guaranteed by state formula we would be holding our own in these tough times. We’ve cut just about everywhere we can by now. The next round could prove really painful. The Board has some very difficult decisions to make by the end of February that will impact this school district for many years to come.” [...]

“We encourage members of our Coastside community to fully engage with us in developing creative strategies to cope with this imposing deficit,” Gaskill noted. “Everyone has something at stake in this one.”