District begins to face ‘dire’ budget problem

School board gloomy as it assesses millions in cuts

New Mexico political leaders are forcing Santa Fe Public Schools to make impossibly difficult choices between unbearable options when it comes to spending cuts, school board member Steven Carrillo said Monday.

His comment came during a session which the board discussed possible cuts to programs, salaries and staff as the 13,000-student school district braces for the likelihood of a further reduction in public education funding after this year’s session of the state Legislature.

Among the possibilities: a reduction of one percent in union members’ salaries, unpaid furlough days for school and administrative staff, a pull-back in paying health insurance premiums, a reduction in the district’s athletic budget and a reduction in central office services.

Increased class sizes and a consolidation of alternative educational programs also are on the table.

Carrillo likened the school system’s situation to the novel and film Sophie’s Choice, in which a mother has to choose between saving the life of her son or her daughter during the Holocaust.

Superintendent Veronica García repeatedly said she does not want to frighten employees or other community members, emphasizing that the district is simply considering various options. But the word “alarm” kept coming up during the two-hour discussion.

Board member Maureen Cashmon referred to a “crisis mode.” Chief Financial Officer Carl Gruenler said the process will be “painful.” García said it is “dire.”

Combined with more than $2 million in cuts already made by Santa Fe school officials in response to the state Legislature’s budget-squeezing special session last autumn, García and Gruenler estimate the total financial impact of decisions by the governor and the Legislature this fiscal year will exceed $5 million.

And with 87 percent of the district’s budget committed to payroll, that’s going to take a human toll, Gruenler said.

“The reality is, if we can’t find our way here [to a balanced budget], there are not many other options with 87 per-

cent of our budget on people,” he said.

Though Carrillo said school board members should make it clear that there are some “untouchables” within the district, both Gruenler and García said that may not be possible because they have to consider everything.

Few specifics were provided in Monday’s preliminary talks as García said estimates remain “fluid,” dependent on what state policymakers do with the state budget, a large chunk of which goes to fund schools statewide.

But the mood at Monday’s meeting was decidedly grim. The roughly 30 people in attendance — most of whom are district personnel — sat silent and sober-faced as board members hashed out their thoughts.

The financial dilemma feels like déjà vu, García said, referring to the many years in which the district has made tough decisions to balance its roughly $100 million budget.

This time, she and the board members said, the responsibility lies on the shoulders of state legislators and Gov. Susana Martinez. If they make further cuts to public education, the impact will be felt in the classroom, district leaders say. The Republican governor and Democrats who hold a majority in the Legislature are at odds over how to balance the state budget. State government is in a crisis mode of its own because of desultory oil and gas revenues, among other reasons. One approach making its way through this year’s session is a so-called “sweep” of school district cash reserves.

Monday’s meeting comes just a few days after more than 40 superintendents from the state’s 89 school districts took part in a news conference at the Capitol to beg lawmakers to leave their operating budgets alone.

García said Monday that community activists, parents and supporters of education have to rally and let the state’s leaders know that the consequences will be heavy and ultimately impact how children learn.

Carrillo suggested organizing a protest at the governor’s mansion in Santa Fe’s north-side foothills. “Don’t let her out of the damn property in the morning,” he said.

The school board will meet again Monday, March 13, to review proposals. By that time, current board president Susan Duncan will have completed her four-year term and Kate Noble, who recently was elected to replace Duncan, will take office as a voting member.

The district generally builds its budget over a series of public meetings in March and April before the board votes to approve it. The Public Education Department in turn must approve the district’s budget by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.