NEWPORT BEACH : Trustees OK Cutting 62 Teaching Positions

Without comment, trustees of Newport-Mesa Unified School District this week approved cutting 62 teaching positions for the 1992-93 school year.

The cuts come as the district struggles to balance next year’s budget, which is facing a $3.6-million shortfall.

“What you see is the worst-case scenario,” said Maya Decker, president of the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers.

“You’ve got the classroom teachers taking the biggest brunt of the layoffs,” she said. “That commitment to make the cuts as far away from the classroom as possible has not been met.”

The move allows the district to begin sending out notices to employees of the layoffs, and establishes a May 15 deadline to notify workers.

The cuts will lay off 12 intermediate and high school classroom teachers, and 13 elementary school teachers.

Additionally, the cuts will eliminate all activities directors, elementary physical education teachers and elementary library media teachers.

The cuts are expected to eliminate about two dozen courses at some schools.

The 62 posts are likely to affect more than that many employees because some of the jobs are held by part-time workers.

The teachers union estimates that about 80 employees will lose their teaching jobs, Decker said.

An uneasy silence fell over the board when it was time to address the issue, with none of the trustees at first making the motion to pass the resolution.

Eventually, Trustee Sherry Loofbourrow made the move, and the cuts were unanimously approved by the board.