Contra Costa Times Q & A

By Patricia "Pat" Rudebusch

The following was submitted to the Contra Costa Times in response to the paper's questions to school board candidates.

I bring a commitment to advancing public education, nine years experience in working on behalf of our schools, and a professional background that has developed my ability to achieve results within the budgetary confines of a nonprofit, public institution. I subscribe to the district's strategic goals and will continue to work towards delivering the educational programs that will allow all students to succeed.

2. What are the top three challenges that the district will face in the coming term?

The overriding challenge facing the school district is the need to maintain our excellent academic programs despite the constraint of inadequate state funding. The district has been very clear in identifying and working toward achieving its top priorities which are: inspire and challenge each student through a nationally competitive and enriched curriculum, attract and retain highly qualified teachers, and maintain our facilities to provide a safe environment that is conducive to learning.

Up to this point, we have been able to mitigate the impact of limited state funding. However, the current state fiscal crisis has brought budget cuts to public schools that, in terms of real dollars, have set funding back at least three years. This year, for the first time since it was passed in 1988, the legislature has suspended Prop. 98 which guaranteed schools a minimal level of funding. Currently, 30 percent of OUSD's budget comes from local sources such as Parents' Clubs' the Educational Foundation of Orinda, and the parcel tax. With the state fiscal situation as it is, OUSD must work even harder to preserve the community's investment in our schools while continuing to advocate for adequate state funding.

Patricia Rudebusch (page 2)

3. What should be the priorities of the board when balancing the budget?

The budget must reflect the district's priorities. For OUSD that means providing the materials and classes necessary to a well-rounded and academically challenging curriculum, bringing teachers' salaries in line with those of districts in the surrounding area, and maintaining the infrastructure of our aging school facilities. OUSD's lean budget has caused us to justify every dollar spent by showing how it will improve student learning. Adopting this approach has not resulted in a lessening of student learning opportunities; rather, it has allowed the district to maintain programs such school libraries, art, and music, because they are structured to directly support the core curriculum.

OUSD continually asks first: what are the components of a quality education; and then: what does it take to fund it. With the priorities established, we have been able to stretch state dollars, raise funds locally, and leverage our facilities funds to obtain certain one-time funds from the state to update our schools.

4. What are your thoughts on refurbishing schools and school facilities?

I'm a strong believer in providing school facilities that are safe and provide an environment conducive to learning if we expect our students to do well and our teachers ot stay. When my daughters first started school in Orinda, we had classrooms where the roof leaked and heavy rains and poor drainage would cause flooding in some rooms. On a day-to-day basis, the facilities were maintained as best they could be. But there had been insufficient investment address the problems inherent to older buildings. Thanks to recent state bonds for school facilities, we are now completing electrical, heating, and safety upgrades at each of our five schools. Additionally, the district has fine-tuned its maintenance operations to maintain the safety and functionality of our schools.

Patricia Rudebusch (Page 3)

5. How would you propose combatting declining enrollments in schools?

First, we need to understand the cause of declining enrollments and the effect it has on school budgets. Over half of the school districts in California are facing declining enrollment situations due to changing demographics. We're seeing the last of the so-called baby boom echo going through high school now. Additionally, the high cost of housing in the Bay area + and Orinda is no exception + results in younger families moving farther out where land is more affordable and new housing is more readily available. As a result, we're seeing enrollment increases in communities such as Brentwood and Modesto. These demographic trends are beyond the control of local school boards.

Another, albeit less significant, factor attributed to declining enrollment is dissatisfaction with public schools. I haven't seen any data showing that this is a factor in Orinda; nevertheless, we must continue to provide a quality education that will attract families to, and keep students in, our schools.

Schools are funded based on the number of students enrolled. When enrollment declines, so too does funding. This funding formula assumes that there are only variable costs associated with running a school. In practice, fixed and variable costs come into play. Whether a class has 18 students or 25 students, the cost of that classroom is the same, yet the funding can be significantly less for the smaller class. Since the problem of declining enrollment is so widespread, the state will need to create a funding formula that addresses the demographic constraints faced by an increasing number of communities. Locally, the tools at our disposal to combat the effects of declining enrollment are to maximize resources by combining classes where appropriate and accepting interdistrict transfer students as space permits. But, these decisions should be made to ensure that there are no adverse effects on students.