FULLERTON : Proposed Media Cuts in District Assailed

When the trustees of the Fullerton School District met this week, they got an earful from teachers, parents and students about plans to cut back the services of the school district’s media specialists.

In an effort to cut $1.5 million from the school district’s 1992-93 budget, the Board of Trustees is considering placing all library media teachers in the classroom.

They are also considering cutting the hours of the media specialists--who aid librarians and help conduct computer-training classes--from six to 3 1/2 hours a day.

Opponents argued that this would severely limit student access to both the library and computer training.

“I understand we need to cut the budget, but this is essential to children’s education,” said Cindy Germain, a member of the Parent-Teacher Assn. at Fern Drive Elementary School. “It is the only place some children are exposed to computers.”

Library media teacher Becky Czerwinski noted that restricting the hours of media employees will limit the hours that children have in their school libraries.

“Without a library media teacher and (with) only a media assistant,” she said, “the only service that could be provided would be the check-in and checkout of library books to whole classes, once a week at the small schools, less often at the larger schools.”

However, the majority of school board members said that they did not see any alternatives to the drastic cut.

“I would like to look at alternatives, but every one I come up with will step on someone’s toes,” said board member Robert C. Fisler.

Fisler also took a few minutes to urge parents to lobby the state Legislature, which has threatened to cut school funding in an effort to eliminate the state’s budget deficit.

“I appreciate all the letters and all the phone calls, but I wonder if the average person knows who is really imposing this on us,” Fisler said.

“I’ve suggested to several people to go to (Assemblyman) Ross Johnson’s office and when he comes in on Friday to scream like hell and ask: ‘What are you going to do about education?’

“And when you’re done with him, go to (state) Sen. Ed Royce’s office and scream at him a little bit. They are the people making the decision on the budget.”

The only board member to hold out hope that the cut in media specialists would not take place is Elena Reyes-Jones.

“I feel strongly about the media centers, and I am very concerned,” Reyes-Jones said. “I’m not entirely satisfied. I would like to look for some alternatives.”

District officials calculated that changing the schedules of media teachers and specialists will save $700,000 in the next fiscal year.