Sierra Unified race heats as funds wither: Eight vie for four seats on foothills school board faced with tough times.

Oct 19, 2008 (The Fresno Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- PCG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Sierra High, in the mountain community of Tollhouse in northern Fresno County, used to be known as the school with the gold door knobs -- a facetious reference to its wealth.

But the high school and the rest of Sierra Unified School District are struggling now because of declining enrollment and cuts in state and federal funding. For the first time since the district unified in 1992, voters will be asked to approve school bonds in the upcoming election.

"We're feeling a bit of desperation and want to preserve what we have," said board member Don Fowler, who is running for his fifth term in the Nov. 4 election.

With the state and national economy in its worst decline since the Great Depression, school districts are slashing expenses and preparing for more cutbacks. The state has delayed tax-revenue payments to districts, causing cash-flow concerns for schools.

Tight finances are the backdrop for school board races across the central San Joaquin Valley, including Sierra Unified.

"It's going to be tough, and there's a lot of tough decisions that boards are going to have to make," said Larry Powell, superintendent of Fresno County schools.

Many districts are struggling to maintain programs, said Howard Berger, superintendent of Tulare Joint Union High School District: "Next year doesn't look any better."

The Sierra Unified race is among nearly 20 contested school board races throughout Fresno County, with dozens more throughout the Valley.

Eight candidates, including three incumbents, are seeking four seats on the Sierra Unified board, which oversees three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school in the foothills and mountains northeast of Fresno.

Candidates on the seven-member board said Sierra Unified is at a key juncture as it faces losing millions of dollars because of declining enrollment, as well as cuts in other state funding.

The district had to slice nearly $3 million from the current $19 million budget, much of it tied to a loss in students over the past 10 years as competing mountain schools have been built outside Sierra Unified and logging jobs have disappeared, forcing families to leave.

High housing costs in the foothills and exorbitant gas prices have also compelled families to move out.

"Students are just kind of slipping away," said Stan Neal, a Sierra Unified board member who is not up for re-election.

Enrollment this year is 1,711 students, compared to 2,400 a decade ago. With $8,000 in state attendance money tied to each student annually, Sierra Unified's budget has taken a serious hit from dropping enrollment.

The district has traditionally been among the wealthiest in the county; its per-student allotment from the state of $8,000 comes from high taxes paid by PG&E and other electrical plants within the district's boundaries.

But in recent years, the district has gone from having a hefty reserve to laying off two maintenance workers and a counselor last spring and making other cuts.

This year will be worse, said first-year Superintendent Michael Gardner: "This is going to be the toughest year in the history of this school district."

It's been many years, Neal said, since Sierra High School was jokingly referred to as "the school with the gold door knobs."

Part of the district's financial problems stem from construction debt on a middle school, built with district funds in 1994 -- better days. As enrollment has slipped, the debt has become a burden.

The district has placed two school bond measures on the ballot: $12 million Measure V, which would pay off the middle school debt and pay for improvements at the elementary schools and middle school, and $10 million Measure W, which would pay for improvements at the high school.

The schools have long been the heart of Sierra Unified communities, and interest in running for the school board has traditionally been high, candidates said. But Mike O'Connell, running for his first term, said there seems to be more interest in running this year because of the school bonds and concerns about cutbacks.

In addition, one of four incumbents, Jerry Schroer, will not seek another term, ensuring that at least one of the open seats will be filled by a newcomer. Schroer's son, Jason Schroer, is joined by challengers O'Connell, John Dean Maxwell, Tom Mendenhall and Wes Qualls. Along with Fowler, incumbents seeking re-election are Robert Franklin and Norman Saude.

The reporter can be reached at aellis@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6328.

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