Charter school won't brighten Cotati-Rohnert Park budget outlook

By the time Credo High School reaches its peak enrollment goal of 640 in 2016-17, the Cotati-Rohnert Park School District could make as much as $99,000 a year from the charter administration deal.

But even that added revenue from the unusual Waldorf-style school is not likely to save jobs and programs currently threatened by the current budget and declining enrollment crisis.

The county's third-largest school district is currently in what the state calls a negative financial status, meaning it is not projected to meet minimum reserve and cash flow requirements over two years.

District officials are preparing for the worst should attempts fail to extend current state tax rates another five years. Gov. Jerry Brown, who has proposed putting the tax extensions before voters in a special election, has said education is a prime target for deeper cuts if the effort fails.

Even if the tax extensions pass, Superintendent Barbara Vrankovich said layoffs are "absolutely" imminent. At least 22 full-time positions are being considered for cuts - and that is if the tax measures succeed.

If they fail, layoffs alone couldn't solve the deficit problem because class sizes would soar.

"It would be apocalyptic," said Wade Roach, the district chief financial officer.

"We can't lay off enough people to reach the budgetary goal," he said. "There are just not enough people to lay off. We can't have class sizes of 60."

The district is averaging just fewer than 30 students per kindergarten-through-sixth-grade class. Officials are considering increasing that ratio to 32 students per teacher in the fall.

Board members have withdrawn a proposal to cut high school sports from the list of options because officials figure at least 30 students would transfer elsewhere so the loss of funding that goes with those students would negate the savings.

The district expects to issue layoff notices by March 8 in order to meet a March 15 deadline to turn in a current financial forecast to the Sonoma County Office of Education.