The Ceres School Board approved a staff recommendation on Dec. 11 to restore 1.31 percent to all employee salary schedules, effective July 1.
CUSD reduced its employees' salaries by 8.5 percent in 2010-11 to offset a $5.5 million budget gap. The move prevented layoffs and cuts to student programs.
"We didn't want to put people on the street without a job," Ceres Unified Supt. Scott Siegel said. "In order to do that, it required everyone to make a sacrifice. I'm proud they agreed to it. We've been able to restore six percent of the original 8.5 percent. Only 2.5 percent remains. The employees are very appreciative we're making good on a promise we made. It's the board's top financial priority right now."
If Proposition 30 (The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012) failed on Nov. 6, Ceres Unified would have laid off a half-dozen employees, cut five days off the school year, eliminated K-8 hourly-intervention academic instruction programs and raised K-3 class sizes to deal with a $5 million hit.
The state-wide initiative raises the income tax on those at the highest end of the income scale while families making less than $500,000 a year will pay no additional income taxes. It also temporarily increases sales tax by a quarter-cent, keeping the overall sales tax rate lower than it was in early 2011. The revenue generated through Prop. 30 prevents $6 billion in cuts to schools this year and provides billions for schools in the future.
California voters approved Proposition 30 by a 53.9 to 46.1 percent margin.
CUSD reduced its employees' salaries by 8.5 percent in 2010-11 to offset a $5.5 million budget gap. The move prevented layoffs and cuts to student programs.
"We didn't want to put people on the street without a job," Ceres Unified Supt. Scott Siegel said. "In order to do that, it required everyone to make a sacrifice. I'm proud they agreed to it. We've been able to restore six percent of the original 8.5 percent. Only 2.5 percent remains. The employees are very appreciative we're making good on a promise we made. It's the board's top financial priority right now."
If Proposition 30 (The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012) failed on Nov. 6, Ceres Unified would have laid off a half-dozen employees, cut five days off the school year, eliminated K-8 hourly-intervention academic instruction programs and raised K-3 class sizes to deal with a $5 million hit.
The state-wide initiative raises the income tax on those at the highest end of the income scale while families making less than $500,000 a year will pay no additional income taxes. It also temporarily increases sales tax by a quarter-cent, keeping the overall sales tax rate lower than it was in early 2011. The revenue generated through Prop. 30 prevents $6 billion in cuts to schools this year and provides billions for schools in the future.
California voters approved Proposition 30 by a 53.9 to 46.1 percent margin.
