Santa Monica : School Board Budget Cuts

The Santa Monica-Malibu school board on Monday voted to close swimming pools, cut gardener and nursing slots and halt the hiring of “non-essential” employees to grapple with a projected deficit of up to $2 million in next school year’s budget.

The cuts, totaling about $570,000, also include closing the instructional media office and instead buying film services from the county, eliminating two permanent substitute teacher positions at Santa Monica High School, eliminating an audiovisual equipment maintenance position and instead contracting the work out, and slashing most custodial supervisory posts.

While most of the cuts are scheduled to take effect in July and afterward, the hiring freeze on non-essential positions takes effect immediately. Supt. Eugene Tucker will decide which jobs are non-essential, Arthur Cohen, assistant superintendent for fiscal services, said in an interview.

More potential cuts will be discussed in during the next few months, district officials said.

The district’s general fund budget for the 1990-91 school year is estimated to be $35 million, Cohen said. The deficit, which could be as much as $2 million, is “simply the situation that expenditure level, as set in the district last year, cannot be matched with this coming year’s revenues that have been projected.”

Board President Dan Ross said after the meeting that the district is approaching the city of Santa Monica about receiving some financial aid. The city in the past has given about $500,000 a year to the district, Cohen said.

The board will hold hearings on a final budget in May. By law, the budget must be adopted before the start of the new fiscal year July 1.