FULLERTON : District Hopes to Avoid Layoffs, Cuts

As education officials across Orange County cringe at the prospect of another bleak fiscal year, Fullerton Joint Union High School District administrators doubt that they will have to make substantial layoffs or cuts in programs in 1992-93.

The district should have about $3.5 million left over from its 1991-92 budget at the end of the school year on June 30, enough to cushion any cutbacks in state funding, said George West, the district’s assistant superintendent for business services.

“We’re not anticipating cutting any programs,” West said. “Actually, the governor’s budget, if it flew, would produce additional revenue for us.”

Based on a proposed budget unveiled last month, the Fullerton district might get an additional $150,000 from the state, or about $12 per student. The district had a $60-million budget in 1991-92 for its seven high schools and 11,900 students.

Still, Gov. Pete Wilson has been criticized for painting a rosy picture of the state economy in his budget, and many districts doubt that they will get any cost-of-living increase, West said. For now, Wilson’s budget includes a 1.5% cost-of-living increase for the coming year.

The district also expects about $500,000 less for programs funded by lottery money next year, West said. About $900,000 is expected.

West said the reduction might mean a few layoffs, although he expects that a committee that monitors the use of lottery money will find other ways to finance programs.

The district will also try to reduce the costs of special education classes, West said, but the district plans no layoffs or cuts in those programs.

Meanwhile, teachers are citing the district’s $3.5 million in surplus funds for 1991-1992 as a reason to increase their pay next year. Teachers have been working without a contract since the school year started, and wage talks have reached an impasse between the union and the administration.

At a recent school board meeting, teachers packed the district chambers and called for a better salary offer than the proposed increase of just over 4%. They also want more stipend pay and higher hourly wages for some employees.

But administrators say the offer is comparable to other employees in the district. They also say that the surplus funds have helped avoid layoffs and large program cuts during the recession.