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GUSD Communications
Dear Team GUSD:
In an effort to provide you with information about the status of negotiations with the Gilroy Teachers Association (GTA), the District negotiations team will share brief updates regarding specific components of the current GUSD proposal.
Sharing this information with all staff will allow you to be informed about the proposal that the District’s negotiations team has presented to GTA leadership.
The sixth update addresses the composition of the GUSD reserve:
What makes up the GUSD reserve?
While the current GUSD reserve is $21.9 million, the District’s reserve is comprised of separate buckets of funding. The state requires a 3% reserve for economic uncertainty, and the Gilroy Unified School District’s policy requires a 10% reserve. To provide context, it is important to note that the required 3% reserve would not be enough to cover the cost of District payroll for a single month. Of the current 17.22% reserve, in addition to the 10% minimum, 4.97% is already earmarked to be spent on planned reductions. Finally, the other 2.25% comes from one-time savings. None of these buckets can be used for ongoing salary increases.
The current reserve can be used to support our students now. The District’s current proposal includes additional mental health and academic counseling staff through 2025-2026. The District has also proposed to increase the number of Literacy Facilitators at each elementary school to focus on building early literacy skills in grades K-3. These positions will be funded by strategically using one-time funds over the next 2-3 years.
We welcome the opportunity to continue our conversations with GTA with the hope that we can reach an agreement that benefits our staff members and maintains the fiscal solvency of District operations.
Anisha Munshi, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Gilroy Unified School District
September 27, 2023: Negotiations Need-To-Know, What is the Financial Impact of Declining Enrollment?
GUSD Communications
Dear Team GUSD:
In an effort to provide you with information about the status of negotiations with the Gilroy Teachers Association (GTA), the District negotiations team will share brief updates regarding specific components of the current GUSD proposal.
Sharing this information with all staff will allow you to be informed about the proposal that the District’s negotiations team has presented to GTA leadership.
The fifth update addresses the financial impact of declining enrollment:
What is the Financial Impact of Declining Enrollment?
GUSD’s enrollment has declined by approximately 200 students, which is equivalent to a loss of $2.6 million for just the 2023-24 school year. GUSD’s enrollment has declined by 1,249 since the 2016-17 school year.
Since a decline in student enrollment is spread unevenly across 14 different schools, there can never be a one-to-one ratio of reducing staffing to offset loss in revenue. Subsequently, adjustments, or a decrease in staffing due to fewer students enrolled in our District, only accounts for approximately 25% of lost revenue.
We welcome the opportunity to continue our conversations with GTA with the hope that we can reach an agreement that benefits our staff members and maintains the fiscal solvency of District operations.
Anisha Munshi, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Gilroy Unified School District
GUSD Communications
Dear Team GUSD:
In an effort to provide you with information about the status of negotiations with the Gilroy Teachers Association (GTA), the District negotiations team will share brief updates regarding specific components of the current GUSD proposal.
Sharing this information with all staff will allow you to be informed about the proposal that the District’s negotiations team has presented to GTA leadership.
The second update addresses how the current offer benefits new teachers in the Gilroy Unified School District:
Portrait of a New Teacher
GUSD has worked hard to retain and recruit high-quality teachers. Teachers with families who are new to the profession can find competitive total compensation packages in our District. GUSD’s current proposal to GTA makes a significant impact on new teachers’ real earning potential to support their families while providing high quality instruction to their students.
Below is a chart that provides an idea of the impact of the current GUSD proposal to GTA which demonstrates the District’s commitment to retain and recruit high-quality educators.
New Credentialed Teacher with Family (Step 1, Column 2)
|
January 2024 |
January 2024 |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Salary |
$60,208 |
$67,861 |
|
(Out-of-Pocket Medical Costs) |
($9,005) |
($3,877) |
|
Real Earnings |
$51,203 |
$63,984 |
|
One-Time Bonus (2%) for all GTA |
N/A |
$1,357 |
|
Real Earnings Increase |
$14,138 |
|
|
% Increase in Real Earnings |
27.6% |
We welcome the opportunity to continue our conversations with GTA with the hope that we can reach an agreement that benefits our staff members and maintains the fiscal solvency of District operations.
Anisha Munshi, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Gilroy Unified School District
GUSD Communications
Dear Team GUSD:
In an effort to provide you with information about the status of negotiations with the Gilroy Teachers Association (GTA), the District negotiations team will share brief updates regarding specific components of the current GUSD proposal.
Sharing this information with all staff will allow you to be informed about the proposal that the District’s negotiations team has presented to GTA leadership.
The third update addresses how declining enrollment directly impacts salary offers at the negotiations table:
Why Does Declining Enrollment Matter for Staff Salary Offers?
As the Gilroy Unified School District negotiations team analyzes salary offers for employees, it must consider declining enrollment as a significant variable. Declining enrollment reduces new and future revenue received from the State.
For example, the 2023-24 8.22% COLA (cost of living adjustment) yields only a 4% increase in revenue because of declining enrollment. Fewer students in our classrooms means less revenue to the District.
The graduating class of 2024 has 1,054 students at four high schools in GUSD. Currently, there are only 580 kindergarten students enrolled at the District’s seven elementary schools. This means that revenue that is tied to student enrollment will be decreased by 474 as this year’s kinders move forward in their educational journey.
According to demographer data*, the birth rates in Gilroy continue to decline, meaning fewer students will likely enter kindergarten in GUSD in the coming years.
*GUSD Enrollment Report by PowerSchool (formerly DecisionInsite) presented to the GUSD Board of Education, 12/15/2022
Ongoing salary proposals do not only impact existing monies. The District must always calculate how ongoing salary increases impact the long-term financial stability of the District in an environment where future revenue streams are decreasing.
We welcome the opportunity to continue our conversations with GTA with the hope that we can reach an agreement that benefits our staff members and maintains the fiscal solvency of District operations.
Anisha Munshi, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Gilroy Unified School District
GUSD Communications
Dear Team GUSD:
In an effort to provide you with information about the status of negotiations with the Gilroy Teachers Association (GTA), the District negotiations team will share brief updates regarding specific components of the current GUSD proposal.
Sharing this information with all staff will allow you to be informed about the proposal that the District’s negotiations team has presented to GTA leadership.
The third update addresses how the current offer benefits student access to academic counseling in the Gilroy Unified School District:
Student Access to Academic Counseling
GUSD has made significant improvements in student wellness and access to academic counseling at the high school level, and GUSD’s current proposal to GTA continues that commitment. Below is a chart that provides an idea of the impact of the current GUSD proposal to GTA. This proposal brings GUSD Student-to-School-Counselor ratios significantly below the state average of 509:1** and national average of 408:1**.
Enrollment Projections* and High School Academic Coordinator / Student Ratios
|
2022-2023 |
Current School Year |
2024-2025 |
2025-2026 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GHS |
1748 |
1657 |
1583 |
1554 |
|
CHS + VLA |
1675 |
1611 |
1527 |
1501 |
|
Total Academic Coordinators |
7.8 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
AC/Student Ratio |
439:1 |
327:1 |
311:1 |
305:1 |
*GUSD Enrollment Report by PowerSchool (formerly DecisionInsite) presented to the GUSD Board of Education, 12/15/2022
**American School Counselor Association 2021-2022 Report
(https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/School-Counselor-Roles-Ratios)
We welcome the opportunity to continue our conversations with GTA with the hope that we can reach an agreement that benefits our staff members and maintains the fiscal solvency of District operations.
Anisha Munshi, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Gilroy Unified School District
For media requests regarding the Gilroy Unified School District and our school communities, please contact Melanie Corona, Public Information Officer.