MUSD approves $191,000 contract with School Works Inc. for “structural deficit reduction”

On Tuesday, the Morongo Unified School District Board (MUSD) of Trustees held their regular meeting at Joshua Tree Elementary.

Classified Staff Representative Mary Dean reported struggles with staff concerning recent insurance cuts. Dean said, “people are scared and worried that they won’t be able to afford health coverage or pay their bills,” and called on the Board for “thoughtful collaborative action” in next week’s negotiations. 

Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education Dr. Gracie Gutierrez gave updates on Prop. 28, which provides $1,310,157 in state funding to expand arts and music in schools, with 80% allotted for staff and 20% for materials and training. The downside is the funding would be given in January, an inconvenient time for planning and hiring in the middle of the school year. 

ELOP Program Specialist Sally Stevens gave an update on the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, reporting that 447 students are enrolled at eleven active sites, with 360 students still on wait lists for the program with more staff needed. 

During public comment, Chelsea Hagler represented of an organized group of parents calling for more oversight and transparency in the $191,000 contract MUSD is about to enter with School Works Inc., to provide consulting services in support of structural deficit reduction planning. While the consulting group has hypothetically used a potential scenario of closing four schools including Friendly Hills, the Board once again assured parents and staff that nothing would be put in place without public feedback and town halls. 

President Christopher Claire said, “Our plan is for as many of us as possible to be at all four of those meetings and to support and to listen to your feedback. I went to these schools, I graduated a long time ago, my mother graduated from school, so I am really really entrenched. All these decisions are really hard all of us so I don’t want you to feel like we’re not taking this lightly but whatever we can do to quell the rumor mill. Just try to deal with the facts and if you have questions, ask for board members, ask the district office but we do plan to have really really good information out there so that you guys are not in the dark as to why these decisions are made.”

Area 5 Trustee Roberta Meyers added, “I just want to assure you that we are committed to complete transparency. As we’ve talked to School Works Inc., we’ve made that completely clear… that we wanna hear from the public. We want to hear from you as much as you want to tell us.”

The Board then voted 5/0 to approve “developing a comprehensive plan for structural deficit reduction.”

MUSD’s public information officer Jene Estrada told Z107.7 that “the District voted to develop a comprehensive plan for structural deficit reduction. The District and Board of Education are committed to ensuring long-term financial stability and sustainability. The consultant will conduct a full review of spending, operations and resources to identify strategies such as transportation efficiencies, program adjustments and facility use—including possible downsizing or school consolidations. The process will include opportunities for parents, staff, students and community members to provide feedback and help shape the District’s future. The goal is to protect educational quality while making financial decisions that are sustainable for years to come.”

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