Tough Times, Tough Choices for Schools : Education: Districts are agonizing over how to balance budgets. One might have to cut a cherished music program. Others could lose nurses and counselors and face increased class sizes.

At 10, Frank was already a marginal student. His teachers at Holly Avenue School noticed his lack of interest in classes and worried that he was headed for trouble.

But two years ago, Frank began an instrumental music class that is part of the regular elementary school curriculum in Arcadia Unified.

His teacher, Tom Baker, soon noted a change. Frank--not his real name--began feeling a sense of accomplishment. His grades improved. Music had unlocked a new world.

Baker, who heads the Arcadia Unified School District’s elementary school music program, worries that other children won’t be so lucky next fall.

The district has proposed eliminating the program, which serves 500 students, and laying off three music teachers to slash $140,000 from its budget. By the end of June, the district must make $850,000 in cuts to balance its $32-million budget.

Arcadia Unified isn’t alone. Throughout the San Gabriel Valley, school districts are agonizing over how to cut budgets that have already been trimmed almost to the bone.

In most cases, parents and teachers are demanding angrily that districts slash administrative costs instead of educational programs. Districts have until June 30 to draw up their final 1992-93 budgets.

El Monte City School District and Pomona Unified, to name just two, will lose desperately needed school nurses who provide the only medical care that some children get.

Hacienda La Puente Unified will lose 46 teachers as well as counselors and librarians. “The real cuts will hit the classroom head-on,” teacher Russell A. Fill said in a letter to The Times. Fill urged his community to “wake up and insist that the board and management are held accountable.”

Among the proposed cuts:

Arcadia Unified

Parents contend they have been shut out of decision-making by administrators who have summarily decided to cut the cherished music program.

Hundreds have attended demonstrations to save the music program, and parents have gathered 1,000 signatures on a petition. But district officials say they already have slashed administrative costs and have left top jobs unfilled.

“We’re very proud of our music program, it’s something we’ve preserved for many years,” said Mimi Bergdorf-Hennessy, assistant superintendent of educational programs. “But this year we’re really facing some difficult financial decisions and we didn’t feel we could continue with that particular program.”

Baldwin Park Unified

The district must carve $3.7 million to balance its $70-million budget, said Philip Sexton, associate superintendent for business services.

District officials have proposed cutting the central office budget by 20% and school operating budgets by 10%. Operating budgets include such items as field trips, pens, paper and consultants.

“This problem’s been coming on for a couple years so we’ve been getting ready for it,” Sexton said.

Claremont Unified

Facing an undetermined deficit in its $34-million budget, the district plans to cut psychologists and library personnel, not offer raises and leave open vacancies created by attrition.

El Monte City

A series of emergency meetings have been held to update employees on what cuts the district will make to shave $2 million from a $42-million budget.

“This is not just another cry wolf,” Superintendent Jeff Seymour said. “This is the most serious problem we’ve faced.”

Among the cuts, Seymour said, will be three counselors, four nurses and two assistant principals.

“We have continually had our funding eroded over the past several years” but the situation is dramatically worse this year, he said. “The cuts the state Legislature is talking about are going to absolutely devastate education into the next decade.”

Hacienda La Puente Unified

Administrators must trim $4.7 million on a budget of $95 million. But unlike in years past, officials have asked teachers, administrative staff and parents for advice on where to cut.

“At first, we were suspicious that they would take our input and ignore it, but they acted on it,” said Margaret Hawley, president of the Hacienda La Puente Teachers Assn.

With such a severe financial problem, it was impossible to keep cuts away from the classroom, Hawley said. But she said she is pleased that the district restructured its middle management and eliminated positions, including several assistant superintendents and directors.

The district also is eliminating 39 high school and seven junior high teaching positions, which will affect mostly temporary teachers whose contracts will expire June 30, Hawley said. The cuts also will increase class size by three to four students per class, depending on the grade level and subject.

Pasadena Unified

Superintendent Philip Linscomb has recommended cutting the work year of 26 middle and high school counselors and seven librarians from 11 to 10 months to help meet $2.6 million in budget cuts needed to balance the $73.4-million budget.

Other proposed cuts include eliminating the administrator, department chair and the last remaining counselor at the Pasadena Continuation High School, which serves youths who are unable to attend regular high schools because of poor grades and attendance, disciplinary problems or other reasons.

“Many of these youngsters here are at-risk kids. If you have a continuation school, you have to provide counseling,” said Assistant Principal Charles Lett. But Lett added that he has faith that the district will find alternate funding for the continuation students.

Pomona Unified

The district faces a $4-million shortfall in its $112-million budget and has proposed reducing the number of school police officers, eliminating two nurses and one psychologist and increasing class size at the high schools, which already have up to 32 students per class.

Associated Pomona Teachers, which represents about 1,400 teachers, strongly opposes the cuts. “Even adding one kid to a classroom makes it more difficult, it dilutes the education,” said Tom Hollister, union executive director.

Hollister said he worries that children who need medical care or psychological counseling could fall through the cracks if the proposed cuts are approved.

“It’s very important,” Hollister said. “The children who need this will miss it very much.”

Rowland Unified

Teachers were so incensed by proposed budget cuts that the 630-member Assn. of Rowland Teachers staged a one-day silent job action in May in which they conducted classes without uttering a word.

The union contends the district is run by fiscal conservatives who keep large amounts in reserve rather than dip into them for education. The district faces a gap of up to $5 million this year in its $65-million budget.

Administrators want to add as many as three students to each class, which union officials say would raise average class size to 33 for elementary schools, 35-38 for junior high schools and 37-40 for high schools. This would save about $1 million for the district, which has 22 schools.

Walnut Unified

The district must cut $2 million from its $54-million budget and plans to increase class size, reduce personnel at two high schools, reduce its custodial staff and reduce all staff work time by one day.