When, not if, Burbank is forced to make budget cuts, I would look first to cuts away from the classroom, freezing non-critical purchases and exploring additional opportunities for collaboration with the city along with other cost-saving ideas like centralizing printing/copying operations. Unfortunately, given the governor’s current proposal, class sizes will have to be looked at down the line.
3. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed shortening the school year by five days to cut costs, a proposal that some educators have denounced. What do you think of such a plan?
I would favor keeping our school year at the current length of 180 days and looking first to other areas to make cuts rather than shortening the school year.
It is already difficult to cover all the standards within the current time frame.
The five-day reduction would also have to be negotiated with our bargaining units.
4. What is the biggest issue facing the school district, and how would you suggest the new board handle it?
The biggest issue facing the district is how we are going to continue, with less money, to achieve academic growth without sacrificing programs like art, music and physical education.
We will have to explore innovative ways to identify instructional and enrichment opportunities that maximize our limited resources.
