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Uploaded: Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 6:46 AM
Updated: Thursday, March 14, 2013, 7:32 AM
Pleasanton school district to end fiscal year with hefty balances
Trustees meet tonight to consider $12.5-million budget surplus as school year ends June 30
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by Glenn Wohltmann
Pleasanton Weekly Staff
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 | The Pleasanton School District is expected to end the 2012-13 fiscal year with $12.5 million above budget, according to documents to be discussed at tonight's school board meeting.
Of that, more than $7.6 million is in undesignated funds, and another $3.6 million in reserves.
The district also collected more than expected from developer fees -- $800,000 as of January 31. The money will go toward paying off loans the district made to itself using the Sycamore Fund, which is money from the sale of a former school site.
The board will also hear an update on apprentice programs, including partnerships with firefighters, cement masons and carpenters.
Negotiations with the teachers union and the California School Employees Association that represents non-accredited employees are continuing and will be discussed in closed session.
The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the district's board room, 4665 Bernal Avenue.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Rolling in money, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Mar 12, 2013 at 9:10 am Great news for the district!
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Posted by Fair is Fair, a resident of the Mission Park neighborhood, on Mar 12, 2013 at 9:27 am Great news! Now let's be smart with it. Momma always told me - save 20% of whatever you earn for that rainy day. Let's squirrel away as much as we can and then get whatever school programs were cut during the downturn back on track to make our schools world class...
There's a reason why when we say we live in Pleasanton, the first reaction from people is, "You have such good schools."
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Posted by thank goodness, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 12, 2013 at 9:31 am This year has been difficult, hopefully the school hours and class sizes will go back to where they were last year and as people say, save some for a rainy day.
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Posted by Julia, a resident of another community, on Mar 12, 2013 at 10:16 am Why not just give it all to the teachers....NOT
People, keep feeding the Starving Beast and they will keep coming for more. Wake up People
Julia Pardini from Alamo
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Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Mar 12, 2013 at 12:22 pm
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com You can't talk about hefty balances without talking about hefty unfunded liabilities.
What I hope is that teachers, classified staff, and administrators at the sites (no raises for any top administrators at the district office) get one-time, off the salary schedule bonuses. That won't be as easy as it seems because top administrators have me too clauses that entitle them to whatever they negotiate with the unions (often on top of built in annual raises with satisfactory evaluations) (foxes watching the hen house). It rewards those working with students who have had no raises in quite some time without adding to long-term commitments at a point when no one is absolutely certain what other impacts are in the offing (California or D.C.).
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Posted by Bring back!, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Mar 12, 2013 at 7:29 pm Bring back class size reduction! Give our teachers raises! Time to make Pleasanton schools the envy of the Bay Area again!
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Posted by payoffdebt, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Mar 12, 2013 at 11:25 pm why are they even talking about bonuses and raises? How did they get a $12million surplus?
Pay back your debt, and unfunded liabilities first....and then save some for another bad fiscal year (instead of raising our taxes again...cough, cough Prop 30)
p.s. if the administrators get a raise, will it be taxed at the highest rate 39.6% because it's annualized...like everyone else???
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Posted by Evan Roode, T.E.A., a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2013 at 12:51 am I don't like the idea of paying off the debt. That debt is our most strategic asset for criticizing teachers, teachers' unions, administrators who are in cahoots with unions, and pols who are in cahoots with both. Pay off the debt and all we'll be left with is perceived whining about how our tax money is taken from us for socialist public education.
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Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2013 at 7:41 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com Ever Rude, It's easy to be supportive of public education, students, teachers, and administrators at the site and still be aware of the financial problems, many of them created by those at the district office--problems that have made certain that none of the most deserving have gotten a monetary acknowledgement (some districts have still managed to give off-the-salary schedule bonuses).
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Posted by Evan Roode T.E.A., a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2013 at 9:10 am I do not appreciate the name calling. The above post should be flagged as being uncouth and dishonest.
Additionally, I agree it's easy to appear supportive. Of course, appearances and facts often do not mesh well together.
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Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2013 at 9:36 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com As of this year, checks have to be written to the district rather than directly to the teacher. Do a public information request at the DO.
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Posted by anon, a member of the Walnut Grove Elementary School community, on Mar 13, 2013 at 4:17 pm We've got to increase staffing at our elementary schools. The playgrounds have too many unsupervised children and are unsafe.
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Posted by john, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2013 at 10:15 pm I agree with anon, and I think we need to hire more teachers to get class sizes back down, at least in kindergarten and first grade.
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