The BUSD Board of Education approved the 2015-16 general fund budget and the three-year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) on Thursday, June 25, at a special Board meeting held at Burbank Unified’s district office.
The Board approved a $129 million unrestricted general fund budget in addition to the LCAP. The LCAP, as part of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) established by Governor Jerry Brown in 2014, aims to provide a more equitable way of allocating financial resourced to California public schools.
The district was recently advised their allotment of State funds would be more than they had planned. This allowed for additional financial support for BUSD programs.
“The board approved all recommendations from the LCAP Committee and added additional funding for the development of a GATE [Gifted And Talented Education] Master Plan and professional development for GATE teachers,” commented Board member Steve Ferguson. “The board also approved funding for the development of a school gardens master plan and for garden curriculum development to support Next Generation Science Standards.”
“We want to thank the Governor for his commitment to funding education,” stated Board President Charlene Tabet. “In the future, we look forward to additional funding so that we can continue to invest more on behalf of our students.”
The Board approved more than $6.7 million in LCFF Supplemental Grant funds, geared towards supporting traditionally underserved subgroups of students including English Learners, Socio-economically Disadvantaged Students and Foster Youth.
For the next three years, the Supplemental Grant funds will pay for English Language Development Specialists and additional instructional assistants for English Learners at the elementary level and more funding for professional development in English Learner teaching strategies.
Middle and high school English Learners will have more academic intervention sections added, particularly in mathematics. More online and credit recovery options will be made available for students in the targeted subgroups.
They will also benefit from the services of new guidance counselors at the middle schools and high schools, along with new Intervention-At Risk specialists at both the elementary and secondary levels. New programs include on-site mental health support for Foster Youth, homeless students and other at-risk students.
“This budget supports BUSD students with the greatest needs while continuing to restore programs and services cut during the recent recession,” added Board Vice President Larry Applebaum.
The Board also approved additional music teachers for elementary students, more custodians for the district and the funding of a District Instructional Technology Coordinator through LCFF funds. These funds are also being used to support the raises the Board approved earlier this year for all employees.
The district also approved adding $350,000 to the Deferred Maintenance fund to keep facilities in good condition.
“Our march towards K-3 class size reduction continues as we hire more teachers to get us to one to 24 [ratio],” added Ferguson. “Exciting times in Burbank Unified. Thank you to all who participated in the process.”
“This adopted plan will be our guiding document for the work of the Burbank Unified School District for the next three years,” commented Incoming Superintendent Matt Hill. “We will continue to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to review and revise the document to ensure we meet the needs of all students. I want to thank Dr. Kissinger, David Jaynes and all of the employees who worked tirelessly this year to develop a thoughtful budget plan that puts the needs of our student first.”
