TUSTIN : School Board OKs Tentative Budget

Members of the Tustin Unified School District Board of Education this week approved a tentative budget of $44.7 million for the coming school year.

The tentative budget projects a shortfall of $1.8 million, but the deficit will be offset by a projected beginning balance of $3.6 million, said Assistant Supt. Paul Fisher.

The board will continue to discuss the budget at meetings through July and will hold a special budget workshop on July 30. Final adoption of the 1991-92 budget is scheduled for Sept. 9.

To balance the budget, the district has pared a number of programs and has completely eliminated middle-school athletic programs.

“The budget is much tighter this year, no question about it,” Fisher said. “It’s been several years since we’ve had to make any cuts. That’s probably true throughout the county.”

Budget cuts for the 1991-92 school year include elimination of home-to-school transportation for high school students, no new purchases of books other than textbooks, and a 10% reduction in instructional materials, field trips and staff trips to conferences.

The district will also reduce equipment purchases by $213,000, which will add $18,000 in interest to the district’s reserve fund, and eliminate coaches and transportation for middle-school athletic programs, at a savings of $33,125.