Schools Will Pay for Ignoring Policy
Re: “Schools’ Fiscal Health Not as Bad as It Seems” (Times, March 17).
Having served on the state task force which created the policies and guidelines for school districts to report their financial health, I can assure you that the majority of school districts in Los Angeles County should have filed a “qualified” statement in December.
This week, school districts will file their second report on fiscal health. With the forecasted state shortfall for this fiscal year, public education revenue may be down as much as $70-$110 per student, thereby placing half of the districts in Los Angeles County in a “qualified” condition.
The word on the street is that at least two or more districts will require bailout loans from the state to complete the year. Bonita Unified will not be one of those districts, in that it complied with the state fiscal reporting policy and has taken the necessary steps to meet its financial obligations without cutting the education program. Those districts which now will comply with the policy will most likely have to cut the quality of their educational program.
ROBERT M. GREEN
Board Member,
Bonita Unified School District
San Dimas
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