Deukmejian Budget Cuts Mean Bleak Days for San Diego Schools

State budget cuts ordered by Gov. George Deukmejian last month will force the San Diego city school system to cut about $6 million from its $420-million budget, primarily from integration and special education programs, for the coming school year, Supt. Thomas Payzant said Monday.

When the Board of Education meets today, Payzant will recommend that trustees approve cutbacks in integration and special education programs and eliminate a $10-per-student fund given to each school during the last school year.

Predictions for school spending a year from now are even bleaker, according to Payzant and budget director Henry Hurley, with early forecasts showing that the 1987-88 budget will rise a scant $3 million over 1986-87 spending.

“There will be a dramatic change from what we’ve experienced the last three years, which has been significant growth in revenues from Sacramento that have allowed us to improve programs and make major improvements to teacher and other employee salaries,” Payzant said.

“A lot of people have expectations that the phenomenal growth in revenue we’ve had the last three years will continue for education in this state,” he added. “Every indication is that it will not.”

Payzant predicted that the school board will have to cut programs to balance the 1987-88 school budget if, as predicted, it increases only $3 million over the anticipated $423 million 1986-87 budget.

That increase would not even pay for the district’s current commitments and it would fall far short of the amount needed to fund new obligations expected when the district negotiates a new contract with its 6,000 teachers for the 1987-88 school year, Hurley said.

But this year’s budget is the more immediate problem. Cuts in educational programs made by Deukmejian when he signed the 1986-87 state budget left the district with about $6 million less than it anticipated two months ago, Payzant said.

To balance the school district’s budget, trustees will be asked to cut programs and use virtually all remaining California Lottery revenue that has not been allocated to reduce classroom overcrowding and pay district teachers, Payzant said.