Glendale Adopts $65.9-Million ‘87-’88 School District Budget

Glendale Unified School District officials have adopted a $65.9-million budget for the 1987-88 school year, up about $4 million from last year.

The new budget, adopted Tuesday, will include eight new programs, including a drug and alcohol abuse prevention plan and a dropout prevention program at Hoover High School.

Officials increased the district’s emergency fund to $710,000, from $500,000 last year.

But the district will lose about $200,000 in state funds for several teacher-training programs, including $75,000 in mini-grants for teachers to develop special programs in their classrooms and another $70,000 to $75,000 for teachers to develop specialized technology programs.

“While we’re in better shape than other school districts, we’re certainly not out of the woods,” Glendale Schools Supt. Robert Sanchis told board members.

Throughout California, school districts received a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment.

“In this district, it takes from 2% to 3% increase just to hang in there from what we had last year,” said Nick Ferguson, assistant superintendent of business services. “But, when you add inflation, it really takes a 5% to 6% increase to maintain a viable program.”

To make up the difference not provided by the state, Glendale officials added to the budget $2.7 million in lottery money and about $1 million left over from last year’s budget, Ferguson said.

“We are now only a year away from having to make some severe cuts,” Sanchis said. “We are right on the edge right now. We’re going to have to be very conservative and frugal throughout next year.”