MISSION VIEJO : Academic Decathlon Targeted in Budget

The state champion Academic Decathlon team could be among the latest victims of the budget crunch in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District when the Board of Trustees considers eliminating 36 programs tonight.

The board is also scheduled tonight to dismantle the district’s elementary school science and music programs and a remedial reading program. Trustees voted two weeks ago to lay off and reassign the teachers in those programs.

Service cuts, including eliminating night hours at high school libraries, will also be considered as the district tries to pare $4.8 million from next school year’s $100-million budget. Eliminating the Academic Decathlon would save $93,500.

The Academic Decathlon pits nine-member teams from various schools in tests of general knowledge. One of the district’s four high schools, Laguna Hills, has won the state championship and finished second in the national contest for the past two years. The cut would also eliminate Academic Pentathlon teams at the district’s four intermediate schools.

Jay Kim, the student member of the school board, was captain of the Laguna Hills team this year.

“I’m frankly disappointed with the leadership in Sacramento,” said Kim, 18, a senior. “I don’t find much fault with the school board for this situation. I had the chance to go to Sacramento last week and talk to several legislators, and it is their lack of leadership that has trickled down and has caused the Academic Decathlon to be cut.”

Gov. Pete Wilson has proposed reducing the state’s education budget by $2 billion. Districts throughout the county and state have also been scaling back their budgets.

Saddleback Valley will lay off 82 teachers July 1. In March, the district reduced its staff by 55 non-teaching employees, including secretaries, cafeteria workers and custodians. These cuts will save the district about $3.5 million.