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The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Kelseyville High School Student Center, 5480 Main St.
Kelseyville Unified Superintendent Dave McQueen said the meeting's focus is to come up with a plan for the 2011-12 fiscal year, with site configurations one of the considerations. He said public input will be a key component.
It's expected to be the first of several open discussions hosted by the board during the coming year, according to McQueen.
Because of declining enrollment, Kelseyville is looking at all of its facilities and how it can save money through possibly consolidating sites, McQueen said.
With a great deal of community concern arising over impacts to the district – McQueen said parents already have been worried about school closures, which aren't proposed currently – he said the goal is to have the process be as open and public as possible.
For the soon-to-begin 2010-11 fiscal year, “We're going to be OK,” said McQueen.
The district had to lay off 10 teachers last spring, but they've restored five positions, he said. “I venture to say we'll probably put back a couple more, so that's good news.”
Still, they have to start looking for ways to cut $900,000 out of the district budget for the 2011-12, he explained.
“It only makes sense to look at what we have and try to save some money,” he said.
McQueen estimated that the school district has seven different facilities – from the high school and middle schools to the elementary and continuation sites. No closures are proposed, and even after a study of the district's finances site closures may not be in order, he said.
The district's main challenge rests on declining enrollment, which is estimated to continue, McQueen said.
“That's the trend that is happening,” he noted.
This past school year's peak enrollment was 1,757, McQueen said, with 1,698 students set to start school this fall.
“People are moving,” a trend McQueen witnessed accelerating when the economy hit recession. He said another wave of foreclosures is anticipated, which will exacerbate the problem.
By 2014, McQueen said the district projects enrollment will bottom out at 1,611 students.
They've looked at options including cutting days from the school calendar, which McQueen said hasn't panned out as a viable solution.
“We're not doing it. You have to negotiate it” with the teachers' union, he said.
District Chief Financial Officer Tiffany Kemp will go through enrollment and financial data at the Aug. 10 meeting, he said.
For more information, call Kelseyville Unified School District Office at 707-279-1511 or visit the district online www.kusd.lake.k12.ca.us/.
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