Rocklin Unified School District Board expresses potential concerns with funding from Proposition 28

The Rocklin Unified School District Board expressed potential funding concerns for their arts and music programs as a result of Proposition 28's passing in October at Wednesday's board meeting. Rocklin Unified School District is receiving $7,136,113 from an Arts, Music, and Instructional Materials Discretionary Block Grant that can be spent on professional development, instructional materials, improving school climate, digital literacy, physical education, and operational costs through 2025-2026. The district is also receiving a Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant of $5,136,722. Spending with this grant is "more restrictive," Deputy Superintendent Barbara Patterson said. It "must be focused on learning recovery by establishing initiatives to support academic recovery and staff and student social and emotional well-being, increasing instructional time and accelerating progress, close learning gaps through implementation of learning supports," such as tutoring and expanded learning opportunities. It can be spent through June 30, 2028. The grants total to about $12.3-million, a decrease of about $12,000 per the California Department of Education's updated allocations. The primary goals with the funding, according to Patterson, is to enhance school safety, address the board's goals of math and mental health improvements, and continue support for learning recovery. Associate Superintendent Bill MacDonald also presented the three-year proposed expenditure plan at the meeting, which focuses on the Learning Recovery, Mental Health, Dyslexia program to "increase student needs." It expands school choice options for families, Visual and Performing Arts equipment, ninth-grade athletic stipends, enhancing collaboration between schools and districts, Transportation Bus grant going toward eight new electric buses, van replacements, technology replacement funding and facilities. Proposition 28 increases spending on arts programs in public schools, which is beneficial for students and gives them the opportunity to pursue artistic endeavors. However, according to Patterson, supplemental language included in Proposition 28 states that the funds allotted to the schools is dependent on how much they are already spending on arts and music education. "We are in a great place, we have significantly more money than we've had in the past put into music. The concern I have is if we raise [our funding for the arts] in 2022-23, we're setting a baseline we have to stay above… it feels like we need to be cautious around finance going forward," board member Rick Miller said at the meeting. "This puts us in a bind that we can't get out of…" MacDonald responded that they "will be looking to the future" and estimating what can be used with Proposition 28 supplemental funds and how certain "needs can be fulfilled now." He also suggested that a revision be brought back to the board. In response to the suggestion, board member Tiffany Saathoff said, "We have legitimate needs this year, so I'm nervous to pause the process" of allocating funds. Superintendent Roger Stock said, "The board could say we're not opposed to these amounts but we want staff to come back with more information" to "understand the impacts of" how current needs can be met now and in future years. "Based on Prop 28, we could come back with adjustments" and the money approved at the Nov. 16 meeting would still be there. The board approved the general fund grants but is expecting a revision within the coming months as changes are based on Proposition 28. In other news The Rocklin Academy Meyers location merged with the Turnstone location at Wednesday's board meeting. Deputy Superintendent Patterson presented the Turnstone Material Revision and clarified, "The material revision does not make material changes to the underlying educational program. It proposes to merge the Rocklin Academy Meyers with the Rocklin Academy Turnstone so that there is just one Rocklin Academy located at Ruhkala Elementary School moving forward after the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year." The merger will be effective July 1, 2023. Rocklin Unified School District Board Vice-President Julie Hupp asked if anyone would lose their jobs as a result of the merging. Patterson reassured the board that nobody would lose their jobs. Board member Rick Miller, who had two children attending Meyers, commented that the "mighty, small but lovely school, was an amazing experience" for his children. The Rocklin Unified School District Board approved the Turnstone Material Revision that merges the elementary Turnstone and Meyers locations.