SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : School Bus-Fee Plan, Layoffs Are Criticized

More than 300 parents crowded into this week’s board meeting of the Capistrano Unified School District to speak out against a variety of cuts that officials are considering to balance a projected $8.1-million shortfall in next year’s budget.

Supt. James A. Fleming had called on staff to perform “major surgery” on district programs to prepare for reduced state funding next year. Those cuts are included in the tentative budget submitted to the trustees at Monday night’s meeting.

“The people in the state have no idea what’s going to happen to Capistrano Unified and to other districts in the state unless somebody wakes up the people in Sacramento,” said Fleming, who encouraged parents to write to state officials, urging them to provide more state funds.

The budget, which won’t be presented in final form until next month, calls for busing fees and an increase in average class size by one-half student.

Several of the proposed cuts are aimed at academic programs, including the elimination of the district’s music program for kindergarten through third grade and a reduction in the number of assistant principals at elementary schools and vice principals at high schools.

“It’s extremely difficult,” trustee Marlene Draper told the parents at Monday’s meeting. “Somewhere, something has to go. There’s not a lot of good news when you talk about cutting, but we truly have the best interests of the students in mind.”

Some parents were angry at the prospect of paying for busing, a proposal that is expected to bring more than $175,000 next year.

“I’m outraged that you folks would charge students to ride a school bus,” parent Werner Raes said to the board. “What’s next? Charging us for each letter in the alphabet taught?”

Ken Burton, a groundskeeper in the district, asked the board not to cut employees in his department, but said he sympathized with their plight.

“I don’t envy you folks,” Burton said. “You have to make tough decisions, and I’m sure they’re not going to be very popular. You must have big shoulders.”

Last year, the district adopted a $114-million budget that included about $4 million in cuts and resulted in the elimination of some programs and increased the district’s average class size by one.

An earlier budget proposal to again increase class size by one has been reduced to a proposed increase of one-half of a student per class, which will save the district about $1 million.

“We’re trying very hard to keep the cuts away from the classroom,” said Board President Crystal Kochendorfer. “This is the first time in a long time that (the district) has had to cut deeply, and it does hurt, deeply.”

More than 200 of the district’s teachers still face possible layoffs. District and teachers’ union officials went before an administrative law judge last week to argue the merits of the layoffs, but the judge has yet to issue his findings.

“I see the apprehension and fear in the faces of those teachers,” said Ric Stephenson, president of the teachers’ union.” I hope we can rescind all of the notices and start rebuilding morale.”

So far, the district has rescinded 59 of the 274 preliminary layoff notices sent out March 15. Teachers must receive final layoff notices by May 15.

The school board will be presented with a final 1992-93 budget June 1 and is scheduled to adopt it June 15 after a public hearing.