School board discusses financial reserve improvements, school re-openings
–The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees met last night in a virtual meeting at the district office board room. The meeting was recorded on YouTube, so it’s available to be viewed by any interested parties.
Chief Business Officer Brad Pawlowski gave a second interim financial report. It shows that the district currently has a $9.2 million dollar budget reserve. That’s about 10.75-percent of the operating budget. Next fiscal year, it’s projected to increase to 14-percent or $11.3 million dollars. Then, deficit spending is projected to reduce the budget reserve slightly in the following fiscal year. The shutdown and state payouts have helped the PRJUSD budget reserve.
The school board talked about when the schools will reopen in the district. That process will continue next week with secondary students beginning to return for hybrid learning in the classroom.
Superintendent Curt Dubost said he believed that schools will reopen as normal in August. Trustee Nathan Williams thanked PRPE, the Paso Robles Teachers Union, for helping to get the students back in the classroom. Trustee Lance Gannon agreed with him.
Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Gaviola talked about a new code of ethics for the school board, to meet the recommendations of the Grand Jury report that found ethics lacking in the school district. The board approved the new code of ethics.
Some members of the public called in to complain about plans to close Georgia Brown Elementary School. Resident Elena Garcia told the board that Measure M allocated money was for repairing the school, but it was ignored. She said, “Now the board is talking about closing it.”
Paso Robles School Board and members of the community will tour some of the properties in the school district on Friday afternoon.
