Budget a Concern for RUSD

During Tuesday night’s Redlands Unified School District Board of Education meeting, the budget was on everyone’s mind.

Superintendent Lori Rhodes announced that the district budget will be determined by whether or not there is a special election in June, and then whether or not voters agree to a tax continuance that will help keep more money in the state’s education budget.

“The reality is that this special election will be just three to four weeks away from our new fiscal year,” Rhodes said.

Two-thirds of the legislature must vote to get it on the ballot, and according to Rhodes, the Republican caucus is making it known they are solidly against it. If the tax continuance does make it, but fails at the ballot, the district will reduce $2.6 million dollars from its budget in July; if it passes, they are anticipating a $2.6 million addition to the budget.

“That’s the first time I think we’ve ever said that,” Rhodes said. “It could be a great opportunity for us.”

Until the district knows whether or not there will be a special election, it must work with two budgets -- one if the tax continuance passes, and one if it doesn’t.

“It’s difficult and confusing to talk about two budget plans,” Rhodes said.

Also during the meeting, Sue Buster, director of curriculum and instruction, gave a presentation on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which aim to provide students with a clear understanding of what they are expected to learn.

These common core standards will come from a group comprised of K-12 district leaders, educators, faculty and researchers from across the nation. Individual states are then able to add 15 percent of their own standards to the CCSS.

According to Buster, it will take several years to implement the curriculum, instructional materials and assessments based on the new CCSS. There are two timelines: math will begin in 2013 and English language arts in 2014, with instructional materials for math in 2014 and in English language arts in 2015, or math in 2015 and English language arts in 2017, with instructional materials for math in 2017 and English language arts in 2019.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers -- a partnership of 27 states that compares assessment results against common standards -- has established its own timeline of developing pilot tests by 2011-12, field tests in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and full implementation by 2014-15. Rhodes noted that all of those dates come before students will receive the new instructional materials.

“They’ll have to make it work,” Buster said, shaking her head.

Timelines will be determined by legislature, and with a new governor, new state Board of Education and new California Superintendent of Instruction, no one is sure what might happen.

“We’re looking forward to hearing more,” Buster said.

She added that the district will have ultimate choice of the materials that are used by students.

The next meeting of the Redlands Unified School District Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 22.