HUNTINGTON BEACH : School Board Seeks Ideas on Budget Cuts

Facing a projected budget shortfall of $800,000, the Huntington Beach City School District board is asking parents and other residents to submit suggestions on program cuts.

The Board of Trustees at its meeting last week scheduled a public hearing June 11 to gather ideas on how it might cover the deficit, equivalent to nearly 4% of the district’s $21-million annual budget.

Trustees also set a special study session on June 25 to discuss those proposals and district staff recommendations. The board plans to adopt the cuts at its July 16 meeting.

The district’s tentative budget, which must be filed by June 30, will not be balanced, spokeswoman Catherine Wheeler said. Interim Supt. Gary Burgner has proposed some potential cuts but has not submitted to trustees a formal list of recommended reductions.

Discussing the 1991-92 budget with the board this week, Burgner suggested that members consider reducing or eliminating a crew of workers hired each summer. Those workers, typically college students who handle painting, landscaping, cleaning and other custodial chores at schools, cost the district about $45,000 a year.

Burgner has also proposed that trustees curb or cancel summer workshops for teachers. In past years, the district has paid about $25,000 each August to compensate teachers for attending a variety of voluntary seminars and training programs.

No sweeping cuts have yet been proposed to slash a significant chunk from the deficit, however.

The district’s financial pinch is caused largely by the proposed state funding cuts affecting school districts statewide.