Capping months of dialogue, the IUSD Board of Education reluctantly voted to make a number of budget reductions and adjustments Tuesday night to resolve the projected deficit for the 2010-11 school year.

As a result, the Board was able to certify the district’s Second Interim Report as “positive,” meaning IUSD is on target to meet its financial obligations, though another shortfall is expected in 2011-12 if state revenues don’t improve.

IUSD entered the evening facing a deficit of approximately $20 million for 2010-11 as a result of the state’s budget crisis, which has already stripped California’s schools of $17 billion over the last two years. The governor’s latest proposal threatens another $2.5 billion worth of cuts for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

To bridge the district’s gap between revenue and expenditures, school board members voted to approve the following:

• Four furlough days for 2009-10, and eight for 2010-11 ($8,578,068)
• District Office reorganization/reduction ($586,397)
• The reduction of nursing services through attrition ($204,605)
• The reallocation of so-called Tier III funds, which were made flexible through recent legislation ($896,410)
• An increase in class sizes in grades one through three to an average of 30 students, with flex to 32 ($2.8 million)
• Reductions in elementary art and music, as well as materials for science in grades 4-6 ($223,903)
• Reductions in site administrative support ($61,133)
• Staffing adjustments associated with the Secondary Writing Project – release days will be maintained – in grades seven through 12 ($564,009)
• An increase in ninth-grade class sizes to an average of 32 ($962,220)
• A 10 percent reduction in site allocations for materials and supplies ($350,000)
• The use of onetime dollars that were set aside to cover retiree benefit liabilities ($1.85 million)
• The use of onetime dollars set aside as a result of this year’s budget freeze ($1.57 million)
• The transfer of onetime funds from an Irvine Ranch Water District easement account ($1.06 million)
• Voluntary lab fees for elementary, art, music and science ($165,464)

Though IUSD’s budget is due in June, a number of statutory deadlines – including the submission of the Second Interim Report – require that some decisions be made no later than March.

Meanwhile, the next major budget milestone comes in May, when the governor is expected to share the latest fiscal information as part of his “May Revise.” Assistant Superintendent Lisa Howell noted that IUSD may need to take additional steps in the months ahead if the state budget picture changes.

Update: To read highlights of the entire meeting, click here.

The IUSD Board of Education is expected to vote tonight on a number of budget reductions and adjustments to bridge a projected deficit of more than $20 million for the 2010-11 school year.

Board members are also scheduled to approve the district’s Second Interim Report, reflecting IUSD’s ability to meet its financial obligations for the current year and two subsequent years. Assuming the Board closes the shortfall, that report will be certified as “positive.”

To view the list of staff-recommended budget reductions and adjustments, click here.

The California budget crisis continues to grip the state’s public schools, which have seen their revenues drop an average of $600 per student since 2007-08. As a result, IUSD recently announced its decision to reduce the current school year by four days, and employee groups have agreed to take eight additional furlough days in 2010-11.

Furlough days translate into lost instructional time for students as well as reduced compensation for employees, yet they would generate nearly $8.6 million in total savings. While that represents a significant chunk of the 2010-11 deficit, it still leaves a sizable shortfall to be resolved by the Board and staff.

Other staff-recommended proposals for closing the gap include increased class-sizes in grades one through three and nine; reductions at the District Office level; the reallocation of categorical dollars from programs that are now flexible as result of recent legislation; reduced nursing services; and the addition of one-time dollars.

The Board of Education meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the District Office, 5050 Barranca Parkway. To access the agenda, click here.

Update: IUSD NewsFlash will post an item at the conclusion of tonight’s meeting. Check back with us to see how the board voted.

Far be it from us to take sides in the Leno vs. Conan Controversy of 2010, but IUSD NewsFlash does encourage you to check out “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” this Wednesday, March 17, to see a pair of young inventors from IUSD.

Evan Kim, a fifth-grader from Santiago Hills Elementary School, and Maria Webster, a second-grader from Springbrook Elementary, will appear as guests on the long-running late night talk show to discuss inventions they created and showcased during the 23rd annual Astounding Inventions competition on Jan. 30.

Presented by Greenberg Traurig LLP and the Irvine Valley College Foundation, Astounding Inventions was established to promote student interest in math and science. The contest annually spotlights novel inventions from Irvine and Tustin students in kindergarten through the eighth grade, with the winners receiving provisional patent applications courtesy of Greenberg Traurig LLP.

This year, Evan submitted a project called, “Hair Today Gone Tomorrow,” while Maria’s invention was titled, “The Cat Police.” We expect to see demonstrations during Wednesday’s broadcast.

Also appearing with the IUSD duo will be Isabella Garcia, a fourth-grader from Tustin Unified’s Arroyo Elementary School, who submitted a project called, “The Pet Pal.” The featured guest will be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who, as far as we know, will not be bringing an invention.

“The Tonight Show” airs at 11:35 p.m. on KNBC Channel 4.

The Irvine Public Schools Foundation has announced prizes associated with its 7th Annual Irvine Dream Stakes Home Raffle.

We’ll start with the grand prize, which is a 1,445 square-foot home valued at more than $700,000 in a luxury high-rise condominium tower at 3000 The Plaza. According to IPSF’s news release, the tower features Orange County’s only rooftop pool (pictured below), a 24-hour lobby ambassador and on-site retail. The grand prize winner, to be selected in August, also has the choice to forego the real estate and take $500,000 in cash.

Tickets cost $150 and should probably be purchased sooner than later. That’s because there are a number of early-bird prizes, including $10,000 in cash, a new BMW, an “OCeanfront” vacation at six of Orange County’s most exclusive coastal resorts and a year of free rent in Irvine’s newest luxury apartment community, The Park at Irvine Spectrum Center.

The first early-bird drawing is April 15, with the winner to receive $10,000.

Other prizes include dinner for eight hosted by Chef Cathy Pavlos at Irvine’s Lucca Cafe, two nights at the Island Hotel Newport Beach, four rounds of golf at the world-class Pelican Hill Golf Club and a year’s worth of free car washes from Pacific Coast Auto Spa.

Founded in 1996, IPSF has raised millions to help support IUSD programs, many of which would have been lost due to state budget cuts. To order tickets or for more information, call (949) 734-6873 or visit www.irvinedreamstakes.com.

Lights, camera, accolades.

Northwood High School students recently earned first-place honors in four separate divisions of a national competition that recognizes excellence in filmmaking, video production and broadcast journalism.

At the 2010 Student Television Network Convention, held March 4-6 in Anaheim, the Timberwolves captured top awards in the categories of “Short Story,” “60 Second Staged and Silent Story,” “High School Music Video” and “All Platform Journalist.”

More than 1,800 students from 150 high schools in 27 states took part in this year’s convention, which featured breakout sessions and pressure-packed contests. Northwood instructor Tina Murphy, who advises the school’s weekly NTV broadcasts, said the students were given eight stressful hours to create one film, from concept to completion, and 10 hours to shoot a quality music video.

“It was unbelievable,” she said. “They were under a lot of pressure.”

Led by Murphy, the Northwood team included Mattan Cohen, Jeff Geukens and Jay Salahi, who were honored in the “Short Story” division; Ariel Amaro, who won for “60 Second Staged and Silent Story”; Rebecca Pacun, Shazib Haq, Andy Cho and Logan Bevan-Hively, who earned first place in the “High School Music Video” category; and Yada Khoongumjorn, who won for “All Platform Journalist.”

The Student Television Network promotes broadcast journalism, filmmaking, video production and media convergence by connecting students and teachers with industry experts, who provide training, tips and critiques.

Update: Northwood’s award-winning entries have been posted online. To watch them, click here.

Got your eye on a new book or movie? Heading to a Barnes & Noble this week or next?

Be sure to mention the Irvine Public Schools Foundation when you make a purchase from any of Barnes & Noble’s three Irvine locations between now and March 21, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit IUSD schools.

IPSF’s “iRead” campaign is a follow-up to the foundation’s successful “Dine Out, Help Out” event in which local restaurants donated a percentage of each tab. This time around, the purchase of books, toys and movies can help our schools cope with the loss of state funding.

The participating Barnes & Noble stores are located in the Woodbridge Village Center, at 4600 Barranca Parkway; The Market Place, at 13712 Jamboree Road; and The Irvine Spectrum Center, at 81 Fortune Drive, Suite 123.

And for those who prefer to shop online, you can help out too. Just visit the Barnes & Noble Bookfairs site from March 21 through March 26 and check the “Bookfair Order” box after entering your payment information. When it asks for your Bookfair ID, enter “10162055.”

Update: We’re told a number of IUSD principals have volunteered to read to students at all three Irvine Barnes & Noble locations during the event. And Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang is scheduled to read at The Market Place B&N at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16. For more information, visit www.ipsf.net.

Students, parents, staff and community members gathered in the multipurpose room of Stonegate Elementary School Wednesday to dedicate Irvine Unified’s newest campus, which opened in September.

Though Stonegate, with its inverted-pyramid skylights and energy-efficient “cool roof,” is considered IUSD’s greenest facility, the audience was awash in red, the school’s dominant color, as they heard remarks by Principal Bruce Terry, school board member Sue Kuwabara, PTA President Connie Stone and Superintendent Gwen Gross.

Principal Bruce Terry emcees the dedication of Stonegate Elementary School.

“As much as we are here to celebrate the newness of Stonegate, we are reminded that so much of what makes this school great has been with us all along,” Kuwabara said. “From its former life as Westwood Basics Plus, we have brought an immensely talented and dedicated staff, a stellar crop of young minds and some of the most passionate parents and volunteers in Irvine. We have also transplanted Westwood’s intangibles, including its traditions and its culture of excellence.”

In addition to the adult speakers, students Travis Miller, Derek Jin, Caitlin Kreditor and Jordan Dayer read a poem about their campus, and classmates Aiden Ahn and Priya Jagadish delivered brief speeches. The audience was then treated to a special Stonegate video courtesy of Shane Cline, IUSD’s webmaster.

Other guests included Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang, representatives from PJHM Architects Inc. and builder C.W. Driver, and district staff.

The IUSD school year will be reduced by four days this year as a result of the precipitous drop in state funding, and employee groups have agreed to take eight additional furlough days in 2010-11, Superintendent Gwen Gross announced Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the Board of Education ratified a contract agreement – which included the furlough days – with the Irvine Teachers Association, and Board members approved similar settlements with other IUSD bargaining groups. (The district has a tentative agreement with the California School Employees Association, which represents its classified employees.)

In a letter to staff and the community, Dr. Gross said furloughs are “far from ideal,” but necessary to cope with California’s fiscal crisis. The superintendent announced that all schools will be closed on June 7, June 8, June 14 and June 15 to accommodate the districtwide furloughs, which will help IUSD bridge a budget gap projected to exceed $20 million in 2010-11.

Here’s the full text:

Dear IUSD community member:

This morning, our Board of Education voted to ratify a contract agreement with the Irvine Teachers Association that includes four furlough days for 2009-10 and eight furlough days for 2010-11. Similar settlements were also approved for our administrators and administrative assistants to the principals. Meanwhile, our classified employees, represented by the California School Employees Association, have reached a tentative agreement for 2009-10.

Together, these are significant strides toward balancing the budget for the next fiscal year, and I want to thank all of our employees for getting us to this point. We have seen a tremendous show of collaboration, purpose of mission and shared sacrifice across all levels of our organization, and words are insufficient to express my admiration and appreciation.

Like increased class sizes and program cuts, furlough days are far from ideal. They represent lost income for our employees and lost instructional time for our students. Yet we believe they are necessary, along with other reductions, for our district to cope with the precipitous drop in funding as a result of the state budget crisis. Note that one furlough day for all IUSD employees equates to approximately $715,000 in savings. That means 12 furlough days will generate nearly $8.6 million, negating the need for even deeper reductions that could decimate our district and therefore jeopardize our recovery. Remember that our funding is generally tied to local property values, which in turn are tied to the quality of our schools.

This is, without question, the worst economic climate we’ve ever had to endure, and given the unprecedented nature of this crisis, we are being forced to respond swiftly to seismic shifts in our budgetary landscape. That often means developing contingency plans proactively. To that end, a committee with representatives from our bargaining groups, our parent community and our administration convened last week to identify which instructional days our district would eliminate if furloughs were secured for the current year. With this morning’s ratification, and at least tentative agreements with our other bargaining units in place, I wish to announce that our 2009-10 furlough days will be observed on Monday, June 7; Tuesday, June 8; Monday, June 14; and Tuesday, June 15.

I recognize these dates may pose challenges for some of you. In a dynamic district such as ours, each and every calendar day is filled with scores of curricular plans, special activities, assemblies and extracurricular events that define IUSD. But with fiscal solvency at stake, we believe our staff and families will be able to make adjustments to accommodate these changes to the school year.

I know that many of you will have additional questions, and we’ll do our best to provide answers as soon as possible on our webpage of Frequently Asked Questions. More information will also be provided in the days and weeks ahead through our regular channels of communication, including our website, our Budget Notebook publications, e-mails and the IUSD NewsFlash.

Thank you.

To read the story in the Orange County Register, click here.

The City of Irvine recently dropped its lawsuit against the Irvine Unified School District over a proposed second district stadium, set to be built at Uni High.

In response, Superintendent Gwen Gross issued the following statement:

We are pleased to have reached agreement with the City of Irvine regarding the proposed stadium at University High School. The components of this settlement, as they relate to traffic and safety, are in alignment with our plans at Uni, as well as our historic commitment to ensuring that our facilities meet the highest standards.

The Irvine Unified School District has always worked to exceed all federal and state requirements, including those spelled out in the California Environmental Quality Act. The bottom line is we want the best for our students, and we want to be good neighbors – and we believe our track record bears that out.

The Irvine Unified School District and the City of Irvine have a long history of working together toward the common good, and we look forward to continuing that relationship.

To read the story in the Orange County Register, click here.

The Northwood High School gym was packed Wednesday evening with some pretty impressive science experiments – and hundreds of very smart students – during the 29th annual Irvine Unified School District Science Fair, sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation in partnership with the Irvine Public Schools Foundation.

Project titles included “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Reaction Time and Memory Retention,” “An Analysis of Clock Rate and Thermal Scaling in Modern Multi-Core Microprocessors” and, of course, “The Diffusion of Gummy Bears.”

The Orange County Register posted a few photos from the event that can be accessed here.

To view the list of individual award-winners, click here. To see the list of awards for group projects, click here.