Key dates in LUSD budget watch

Lodi Unified delivered a list of key dates in their process to trim $30 million from the budget by June. Here’s the key dates:

Feb. 16 – Trustees will receive a resolution to make layoff notices to employees.

May 7 - The governor will announce his revisions to the state budget, which could affect education funding.

May 14 - Final vote on employee layoff notices.

May 18 – The district will deliver a report on the May revision and review the superintendent’s budget recommendations.

June 1 - Final discussion of the budget.

June 15 – Budget adoption.

Many of these dates represent legal deadlines that the district must meet. For the most part, the time line is pretty standard, although, Trustee Bonnie Cassel expressed her displeasure in receiving the Superintendent’s recommendations less than a month before the board has to adopt the budget.

Cassel suggested the district should be researching ways the district can streamline its mode of operation – utilizing what she called the “silver lining” in budget cuts. Ideas she had included researching school consolidations, eliminating one or two rounds of benchmark assessments, introducing a fee for athletics, and similar ideas.

Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer said the district is researching many of those potential cost-saving ideas, and some would be presented to the board prior to May 18.