HUNTINGTON BEACH : School Board OKs Budget, Pay Raises

The Huntington Beach City School District board has approved a tentative $20.45-million budget for the coming school year, although its projected income from the state remains sketchy.

The school board voted unanimously late Tuesday to approve the preliminary budget, which must go to the state this month.

Districts’ tentative budgets this year are particularly uncertain, complicated by state voters’ approval earlier this month of ballot initiatives that will affect school funding, said Dr. Gary Burgner, an assistant superintendent.

The district’s budget is based on Burgner’s estimates that the state will provide a 4% cost-of-living adjustment and will not cut education spending any further, and that interest rates and lottery revenues remain stable.

“But the situation with the state remains very uncertain at this point,” Burgner told trustees.

In separate actions at the board meeting, trustees approved 2.6% pay raises for all administrators except Supt. Diana Peters. Coupled with the raises administrators received during 1989-90, the new increases will hike their pay by between 9.2% and 11%. Assistant Supt. Ron Brown said Tuesday the pay raises were necessary because the district’s principals, psychologists and other administrators were among the lowest-paid in Orange County.

Peters’ pay was not increased because her 12.1% raise a year ago was the district’s highest, officials said.

Meanwhile, several teachers and union leaders were incensed that the district’s initial offer for the next three years includes no pay raise. The teachers union in April won a 7% raise for 1989-90 following a bitter contract dispute.