Though Governor Schwarzenegger recently vowed to protect education from further reductions, his initial budget proposal for 2010-11 poses enormous challenges for school districts, most of which have already been decimated by cuts. Locally, the governor’s spending plan increases Irvine Unified’s operational shortfall for 2010-11 to more than $22 million, representing a dramatic increase from the $14.7 million gap identified in December. Superintendent Gwen Gross shares her thoughts about the state crisis and its impact on IUSD in the latest edition of Budget Notebook, which is presented in a Q&A format. On a related note, the IUSD Board of Education will hold a special Community Forum to discuss the budget from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The meeting will take in the Board Room at the District Office, located at 5050 Barranca Parkway.