Sacramento schools are on growing list of districts facing a fiscal crisis

dlambert@sacbee.com

Published Tuesday, Jun. 29, 2010

Almost every Sacramento County school district and some in Placer, El Dorado and Yuba counties are in financial trouble, state officials announced today.
State schools chief Jack O'Connell said the number of California school districts on fiscal shaky ground has increased 38 percent since January.
"Schools today are facing a period of unprecedented fiscal crisis," he said.
O'Connell said that public education in California received $17 billion less in state funding than anticipated over the last two years.
In the 2006-07 school year, only 22 school districts throughout the state were on the fiscal early warning list. In January of this year that number grew to 126. Today it is 174.
Schools are put on the early warning list when they are unable to meet their financial obligations over a two- or three-year period. Schools are given a negative ranking when they can't meet their fiscal obligations for the next year.
Sacramento County's biggest districts - Elk Grove Unified, Sacramento City Unified, San Juan Unified, Twin Rivers and Folsom Cordova Unified - remain on the list. All five districts were on list last year.
Natomas Unified also keeps its spot on the list of 14 state schools with a negative rating, which puts them under the supervision of their local county boards of education.
El Dorado and Placer counties actually had fewer districts on the early warning list than last year- each reducing their numbers by half.
In El Dorado County Buckeye Union Elementary, Gold Trail Union Elementary and Gold Oak Elementary school districts remain on the list.
In Placer County Placer Hills Union Elementary, Rocklin Unified and Colfax Elementary remain on the list.
Making its first recent appearance on the list is Marysville Joint Unified in Yuba County.