NEWPORT BEACH : 50 Non-Teaching Jobs to Be Slashed

Up to 50 non-teaching employees in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, including teacher’s aides, will lose their jobs early next year under a plan approved by the school board to help close a budget shortfall.

The district, facing a $4-million deficit, will save $750,000 with the layoffs. The plan has drawn criticism because the district plans to continue hiring athletics department employees while cutting classroom positions.

“Apparently, there is a loose feeling that we are weighing one program with another--bilingual education versus high school athletics,” Supt. John W. Nicoll told the board Tuesday. “As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing further from the truth. It’s not an either-or situation.”

The board unanimously approved the budget-cutting plan Tuesday at the same time it approved hiring 29 athletic assistants, bringing the total to 54 for this year. The board will discuss which employees to cut at a future meeting, but officials have said about half the layoffs will come from maintenance and operations, and bilingual aides would probably not be dismissed.

The layoffs are expected to occur in January. The district also hopes to cover the budget shortfall by continuing its hiring freeze, delaying repayments to reserves and other cost-saving measures.