Amid Budget Crisis, Arcadia Rotary Club Hands Out $5,000 in Grants to AUSD Teachers

Thanks to the generosity of the Arcadia Rotary Club, 23 teachers in the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) will have a little extra help educating their students.

And with massive budget cuts looming it couldn't have come at a better time.

At Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting, the club presented $5,000 in "teacher mini-grants" for the 2010-2011 school year.

"This club is absolutely committed to doing good work, and these grants are just an example of that," Dr. Joel Shawn, the superintendent of AUSD and a member of the Rotary Club, said in his comments before the presentation of the grants. 

Assistant Superintendent Robert Leri, who worked with the Rotary Club in  facilitating the grants, said over the years the club had handed out 313 mini-grants, which have funded more than $78,000 worth of educational programs.

Rotary Club member Bill Gleason, the chairman of the mini-grant program, was on hand and spoke briefly on the program. 

"I think we looked at 45 different applications," Gleason said. "They were all good applications. ... We're very proud of the teachers."

The mini-grants come at a time when there is much consternation over the 2011-2012 AUSD budget. School officials are preparing for a worst-case $2 billion reduction in education funding, which would result in a $330 per average daily attendance loss per pupil.

California Governor Jerry Brown is hoping to extend temporary increases on personal income, sales and vehicle taxes via a special election ballot measure. If voters passed such an extension, it would result in a reduction of a much more manageable $19 per average daily attendance per pupil.

At the last Board of Education meeting on Jan. 25, the school board confirmed the district will begin handing out “pink slips,” which are for certified layoffs resulting from budget costs, as a precautionary action starting March 15.

These preliminary layoff notices do not necessarily mean layoffs will occur to those who receive the notices.

Shawn has indicated that 60-70 teachers could be laid off as a result of the budget cuts though he wrote on his blog that ultimately the number could be closer to 20-25.

The board is expected to discuss the layoffs at its next meeting set for Feb. 22.

The school board, looking for ways to keep the budget workable if Brown's measure does not make it to ballot, briefly discussed parcel taxes at Tuesday night's meeting. On Feb. 4, a commenter on Dr. Shawn's blog said that San Marino had implemented a parcel tax to support its schools and asked the superintendent if Arcadia was considering doing the same. Shawn replied, "We are exploring this as an option including beginning the work that needs to be done to survey the community."

A complete list of the teachers who received the Rotary Club mini-grants is attached to this article.