The district is dealing with a budget shortfall that has its roots from the pandemic, and officials recommended various measures to make up the shortfall. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett reports.It was standing room only during a board meeting for the Paradise Valley Unified School District on the night of Nov. 17, as dozens of teachers filled the room for public discussions on a budget shortfall totaling approximately $14 million.
During the 2020-2021 school year, the district received funds from the Governor's Office, in the form of an Enrollment Stabilization Grant. The grant's purpose was to give money to the schools to keep their staffing during the pandemic. The district did not get that funding for the 2021-2022 school year. In addition, funding from the American Rescue Plan also ended.
So far, 12 classrooms have been collapsed due to lower student enrollment. District officials have created a budget task force to address the shortfall, and the task force recommended ongoing reductions to save money, including:Remove elementary accounting clerk positions, of which there are 14Other controversial recommendations include reducing some social emotional learning specialists, behavioral specialists, and instructional coach positions.
Check the salaries of the superintendent and district office employees. I suspect the shortfall stopped short before they were affected.
It is not a “shortfall” it’s a major screwup and now the same people who put everything on the line to get the district through the pandemic aftermath are paying the price.