Huntington Beach Cuts School Trainers, Levies Fees

Despite protests from parents and students, the board of the Huntington Beach Union High School District voted Tuesday night to reduce the athletic trainer program and to impose a $25-per-student transportation fee on athletes and other students traveling to off-campus events.

The voice vote brought groans from a overflow audience at the school board meeting. Eighteen people spoke against proposed budget cuts, 11 specifically opposing the cutback of athletic trainers.

In all, the Board of Trustees on Tuesday night voted $766,406 in cuts. These were in addition to $534,000 in budget cuts made two weeks ago. The slashes were needed because of declining enrollment, reduced state aid and less lottery money, the trustees said.

The district governs seven high schools: Huntington Beach, Marina, Edison, Ocean View, and Wintersburg Continuation, all in Huntington Beach, plus Westminster High and Fountain Valley High.

While the board voted to cut $100,000 from the athletic trainer program, it left $65,000 in district money to try to keep the program alive. It was not immediately clear how many trainers will be laid off by the cuts. Athletic trainers are specialists who provide such preventive care as taping as well as therapy and emergency care for student athletes. The move to charge an annual transportation fee of $25 per student also was strongly opposed by parents and teachers who addressed the board. David VanHoorebeke, athletic director at Huntington Beach High School, warned the trustees that such a fee violates the state Constitution, according to a decision of the state Supreme Court about four years ago.

Career-education coordinators--specialists who help place students in jobs and training--escaped the budget ax. That program had been targeted to be cut, thus saving the district $160,000. Among those who urged Tuesday that it be saved was Sam Roth, administrative assistant to Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Garden Grove). Roth said Allen, a former school board member, strongly supports the career education program and is trying to get more state money for it.

The positions and programs cut Tuesday include: district administrative assistant, for a yearly saving of $37,400; district career education resource specialist, saving $14,000; reduced custodial services, saving $41,000; elimination of five assistant principals, saving $195,000; elimination of five secretaries, saving $6,000, and elimination of four business assistants, saving $133,000.

During Tuesday night’s debate, school board member Linda Moulton, said a citizens’ study committee should consider the closure of one of the high schools.

“They should look very seriously, as painful as it may be, to closing a school,” Moulton said. She later said that although she does not advocate closing a school, the option must be studied because the district is losing up to 1,200 students a year.

At its meeting two weeks ago, the school board sliced spending by $534,000. Those cuts, however, were mainly noncontroversial items.

Bonnie Castrey, president of the school board, said the final cuts had to be voted Tuesday night in order to give affected employees the notice they must have under state law.

The board agreed to discuss appointing a Blue Ribbon Citizens Commission to help study the school finance problem. Castrey said formal discussion of the matter will come before the board March 10.