Fontana Herald Articles on FUSD

FUSD approves huge program cuts, gives hundreds of pink slips in order to try to balance $30 million budget deficit

Residents pleaded with FUSD officials to not close the School of Language Development, but it was one of several programs affected by the district's $30 million budget gap. (Herald News photo by Alejandro Cano)

By ALEJANDRO CANO

Published: Saturday, March 6, 2010 5:06 PM CST

The Fontana Unified School District approved massive program cuts and handed out hundreds of pink slips to certified and classified employees in order to try to rectify a $30 million budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.

During a tear-filled meeting on Wednesday, the FUSD Board of Education glumly approved a staff recommendation to make the cuts necessary to make up for the loss of funding at the state level.

Included in the cuts were the closing of many popular programs, including music at the elementary school level. The School of Language Development, the Adults with Disabilities Program, the Alcohol and Drug Prevention Program, and several others were shut down.

The FUSD's unprecedented $30 million gap comes on top of a $17 million shortfall for the current school year.

Parents, teachers, students, and community members voiced their displeasure with the FUSD budget crisis at a special meeting on Monday and at the regular meeting two days later.

"It breaks my heart to hear students with so much potential ask us not to close programs," said Superintendent Cali Olsen-Binks. "We have a very difficult decision -- one that we don't want to make -- but it is something that has to be done."

Barbara Zimmerman, whose 46-year-old daughter has been in the Adults with Disabilities Program for two decades, argued the district will spend more money in legal battles that would follow the elimination of the program.

"It is clear that the district has no interest in protecting the adults with disabilities," said Zimmerman. "These people need to be educated, they need to be in school, and they too deserve free education."

Barbara Alva, a School of Language Development support teacher, pleaded with the district not to close the center that has as its main objective the preparation of non-English students for regular schools by teaching them the language.

Juana Ruiz, a student at the School of Language Development, talked about the importance of the center in the development of students. To be able to transition from one school to the other without language barriers in the way gives students confidence and helps build strong self-esteem, added Ruiz.

However, school officials argued that a master plan has been developed to further expand ELL education at local schools, so the program is no longer needed.

Following the direction of the budget committee, the FUSD voted in favor of more than 300 staff reductions, but decided not to issue pink slips at this time to warehouse workers and bookkeepers whose jobs had been in jeopardy.