A Roundup of Dec. 8 School Board Meeting

Here is a roundup of tonight's meeting.

Deficit expected for next two years, report says

The school district is expected to run a deficit for the next two years, Associate Superintendent Lynn Orong said in an interim budget report, which gauges the financial stability of the district.

According to the report, the district's $22.5 million in expenditures this year are expected to exceed revenues of $17.5 million, which would leave the district with a $4.9 million deficit.

The district's property tax revenue is expected to decline this fiscal year by 14 percent, or $3 million. As a result, the board agreed last week to for using money from the sale of the former Carl Sandberg site, which will allow the district to use $5.46 million of the proceeds to balance the budget. However, the district is only allowed to use that money once to pay for expenses related to the general fund.

Next year, the report said, the district is expecting $18.6 million in expenditures but only $18.1 million in revenue. While there will still be a deficit, Orong said, the district should still be able to remain in the black because of the use of money left over from the previous year.

Trustee James Prescott said having a budget deficit two years in a row shows a fundamental flaw in school district spending and called out district staff in its oversight of the budget.

"The bottom line is we're deficit spending as a district," Prescott said. "Even when we approve this (report) and send it off, they're going to say nothing is wrong with the district. But, in reality, there is something wrong with the district."

In response, Orong defended the district's handling of the budget and blamed the district's budget woes on a combination of the economic decline and the 14 percent decline in property tax revenue.

Only few would vote if bond measure put on ballot, pollster says

Wanting to hear the district's options for possible alternative revenue sources, the district heard from Dale Scott, who runs the polling firm selected at a cost of $25,000 to gauge the public's interest in a bond measure.

Scott gave a breakdown of the district's voting population who would be casting ballots in an election, and the numbers were somewhat startling.

While there are 17,122 registered voters who would be able to vote on a bond measure, Scott said, the district should only expect about 2,600 voters to actually participate in the election. That would leave about 15,000 people whom the district would have to reach out to.

To do this, Scott said, his company would be looking to randomly poll 350 people by phone.

Anticipating that many San Bruno residents might be reluctant to pass another bond measure, Superintendent Dr. David Hutt suggested the polling firm also ask people whether they would support another revenue-saving option such as consolidating schools in the district.

In another presentation, Hutt honored four San Mateo Union High School District bus drivers who were instrumental in transported students from Crestmoor and Portola elementary schools following in the days following the Sept. 9 fire.

In other action, the board voted to appoint trustee Jennifer Blanco as the new president. Every year, the board members, who are elected at-large, take turns serving as president.