A Message Concerning Our Schools
Public education in California has suffered unprecedented cuts over the past three years. For the Corona- Norco Unified School District these cuts have totaled over $54 million. During the process of budget cutting, many hard decisions have been made, and the Board has been able to navigate this process with no employee layoffs. But being forced by the state to cut so much has taken its toll: vacant positions have not been filled, programs and services have been curtailed, and every non-personnel area has been hit hard. Creative solutions have also been found: this year’s furlough days is a prime example of how our dedicated employees, in a show of self-sacrifice and unity, have come together to protect jobs and services to students.
Districts throughout the state are at a point where continued funding cuts are simply not manageable. Unfortunately, the state has continued to cut education this year and has proposed even more for next year. Staff layoffs, program elimination, and larger class sizes are but a few of the consequences of continued funding cuts. These consequences will damage the quality of public education now and for years to come.
The district continues to search for budget cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. Converting year round schools to traditional, changing start times, adjusting attendance boundaries and extending walking distances are but a few of the many difficult decisions that have been made that same money but don't directly impact the classroom. Unfortunately, because of the magnitude of these budget cuts, the district has also been forced to start the process for staff layoffs. If implemented, these layoffs will increase class size throughout the district, decrease support services to students, and eliminate many opportunities students now have to become involved in their educational world. This, however, is only the beginning of the process; no one has been laid off yet. We are hopeful that other solutions will be found.
We are a strong educational community. We have come together in the past to solve difficult problems and we have every opportunity to do so again. Our commitment will always be to provide a world-class education to every student. Please visit the district website at www.cnusd.k12.ca.us for more extensive budget information.
