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San Diego Unified leaders have been on edge for months waiting for a moment that could crystallize as soon as Tuesday. The California Department of Finance is scheduled to announce at noon its revised budget forecast, according to the Sacramento Bee, a report that will signal whether the state will issue deep midyear budget cuts.
Superintendent Bill Kowba in October warned that midyear cuts would put the district on the road to insolvency, a process that would lead to a loss of local control over the school district and deep cuts.
We’ve covered the issue extensively. Some recent stories to help you understand the issue:
• What It Means for the District: San Diego Unified would be forced to cut between $26 million and $30 million from its current budget and its deficit for next year could grow from $60 million to $138 million. Check out this story for a list of what’s on the chopping block.
• Why This Forecast Is Important: The governor will use this forecast and one issued last month to decide whether to trigger the statewide cuts. Last month’s was pessimistic: It found that the state was on track to fall $3.7 billion short of the $4 billion in extra revenue it was hoping for.
• The Big Picture: So how did the state’s second-largest school district end up in this position? Check out our special report, Schools on the Brink, for the full story.
Part 3 specifically deals with the gambles by both the district and the state that got us here:
Lastly, here’s a quick explainer on what would happen if the district did indeed go insolvent.
I’m the editor of VOSD. You can reach me at andrew.donohue@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0526.
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