Live Updates: School Board Finalizes Cuts

6:38 p.m. Hall is about half full for meeting. The mood seems forlorn. Deputy Superintendent Justin Frese says that "it doesn't look good" for the . 

7:54 p.m. Superintendent Louann Carlomagno says that she's optimistic that redevelopment money fund some of the district's needs, "up in the air."

"We're all in this together, and we're all working together...This is our school district, it isn't my school district or your school district," says Nicole Abate Ducarroz. She encourages everyone to continue e-mailing the district with their thoughts and ideas. 

Boardmember Camerino Hawing: "I wish I had $3 million of my own money to put into the district."

Boardmember Helen Marsh says an effect of the shrinking budget will be a change in the class status of government, and school employees. Included in the list of cuts, are several furlough days, which add up to about a 4.4 pay cut for teachers, and a drastic reduction of the maintenance staff.

Marsh: "While we're still going to provide jobs, there are going to be fewer of them.....now we're going to be in a position we're we're not taking care of our employees and the consequences of that will be visited among their families and people who live in this community."

"People are not focusing on the effect of this, most immediately, on people who are going to be taking significant pay cuts," says Marsh.

"I'm discouraged and I'm not a very discouraging person," she said. "I don't have confidence that we're going to be able to do more with less."

Boardmember Gary DeSmet says he feels for teachers, who already work in difficult circumstances. "I couldn't be a teacher....I couldn't do it. I'm impressed by anyone who can."

6:58

• Public Comment: "We really have to work better together....I've come to the board many times, but when we've lowered the standards for class size reduction...I don't think we're doing enough as a community to have our voices heard in Sacramento."

• Public Comment (From a mother of six and a school bus driver): "All of us understand what needs to be done here, and we appreciate the difficulty of what you have to go to....My challenge to all of us is that we do everything we can, tell every person you come into contact with, what the ramifications are of what happens here tonight.She is also concerned how future drivers will be trained, since there is already a shortage. "We're already doing 'without'"

• Public Comment: A union teamster would like more disclosure on the changes to the custodian contracts. The district has suggested that they'll cut 8 positions, but the rest is unclear. "There's so many things that you can imagine that these guys do and how they're going to get done, I just don't know." An example: "When kids smear poop on the walls or rugs." Also, delivering teacher supplies, accidents. "If you don't have a custodian on site and a child throws up at 9 a.m., what are you going to do – throw a coat on it?"

7:15 p.m. Ducarroz: "I don't know what's wrong with this state and this country, thinking that education doesn't fall first. When we spend time and money on education, everything else falls into place."

The board is not clear on how the reduced custodial staff will work. "I think some of the work will be picked up by the maintenance staff, who in turn, won't do their own work," Marsh said. ("No they won't," says someone in the audience.) "I do think there will be a system worked out for body fluids, because that's a public safety concern."

7:23 Marsh is also concerned with the increase in the second grade class size. Many teachers from Napa, which has larger classes, have tried to switch districts to Sonoma, says Marsh, because of the difficulty in effectively teaching a larger class.

Other districts are making similarly drastic cuts: "I know Hawaii has gone to a four-day week, which is a 20 percent pay-cut," Marsh said.

7:31 "It indeed is a sad day and I'm sorry that we could not find a way to get through this," Carlomagno said. The district may realy on donations and outside funding, from resources such as in the future, she said.

Gary DeSmet also says that he thinks that staff and members of the community should do more to have their voices heard in Sacramento. "If someone wants to charter a bus, I'm there."

Reading from a prepared statement, DeSmet called the budget cuts "promises undone and unmet, oh my."

Desmet "regrettably" moves to approve budget cuts. The cuts pass unanimously. "I suppose that's the end of our business. Thank you all and apologies."