ANAHEIM : High School District Cuts Driving Classes

Driver education classes, a staple on the course schedules of sophomores throughout the Anaheim Union High School District, will be slashed beginning today because of proposed state cuts in school budgets.

The 20-school district decided to cut the classes this semester in efforts to begin reducing the district’s budget by $3 million.

Eliminating driver education classes for about 1,600 sophomores will save the district $150,000 this semester, and officials hope that it will soften the blow of further cuts in classes and activities later.

“It’s a terrible morale kind of thing,” said Supt. Cynthia F. Grennan. “I don’t want to cry wolf, but the thing is, you have to plan for the worst.”

Grennan said the district is also looking into ways to cut its administrative costs, which make up 85% of the district’s $105-million annual budget.

The district currently has a hiring freeze on open positions. But it is too early to determine if layoffs or other personnel cuts will be necessary and what those cuts would be, she said.

The district faces added financial woes because enrollment has been on a steady decline in the past decade and only this fall saw its first significant increase.