HUSD board to vote tonight on proposed 2011-12 budget

Healdsburg Unified School District board will vote tonight on a proposed 2011-12 budget.

Board members, meeting at 5 p.m. at the HUSD office, 1028 Prince St., Healdsburg, are expected to approve a document that school officials say includes the

"We don't expect any surprises," said HUSD Superintendent Jeff Harding.

In addition to cutting the school calendar by six days -- five school days and one staff work day -- the spending plan includes

HUSD's current general funds budget is about $18 million, not including special funds such as for capital construction, preschools or the school cafeteria.

Steve Barekman, HUSD business services manager, said the new proposed budget is a work in progress. Previously, he said the district will use reserves to compensate from cutbacks in the state budget, just approved Tuesday night.

California's 2011-12 budget does not cover extensions on certain taxes and fees -- as Gov. Jerry Brown had unsuccessfully tried to include -- so the schools across the state have had to make up the difference in state aid.

"We haven't yet finished the June books to close out the year," Barekman said. "We won't finalize the current budget until September."

He said additional  state cutbacks could happen in December and January.

"Things at the state level are still evolving," Barekman said. "We're still working on it."

As to recent reports in various media that, Barekman said it was an throughout the state.

Harding said there were variables both at the state level and locally, meaning that the best anyone could do is offer estimates and projections.

For example, HUSD has put the former on the market. A 60-day open period expires in early July, at which time bids will be accepted. Whether the district will be able to sell the building is an open question.

In addiion, the district's board will discuss results of a that indicates Healdsburg residents would react positively to a bond measure extension for capital building projects and school equipment. However, no state election date has yet been set, so board members would not be able at this time to set a ballot measure date for the bond extension measure, Harding said.

"We are required to project out our budget over three years," Harding said. "If we went back three years from now, could anyone have ever guessed we would be where we are now? No way."