SANTA ANA : Schools Pass Budget, OK Layoffs, Cutbacks

Fewer teachers, fewer classes and higher fees for student athletes are just some of the painful decisions that Santa Ana Unified School District officials approved this week to balance its anemic 1992-93 budget.

On Tuesday, the district board passed its $198.4-million spending plan, which eliminates 90 teaching positions, reduces benefits for employees and increases average class size to its legal limit. Controller Bob Giritz pointed out that the state’s budget problems could require the district to make further cuts this summer.

Giritz said that although 90 positions will be cut, about 20 to 30 teachers will actually be laid off. The remaining positions will be reduced through reassignment, attrition or retirement.

In March, the board decided to eliminate four clerical positions and not replace 50 bilingual instructional aides, saving $250,000, and also cut the 10-week athletic seasons of all intermediate schools in half. Other cuts, totaling about $9 million, included negotiating a cap on insurance benefits for employees and reducing the district’s transportation budget.

To prop up portions of the sagging athletics budget, which has suffered cuts two consecutive years, the board this week reluctantly decided to charge student athletes a $25 fee for replacing and repairing sports equipment and uniforms.

Two weeks ago, the board decided to eliminate seventh-period classes for intermediate-school students to save money. At the meeting on Tuesday, McFadden Intermediate School teacher Jan Colella chastised the board for that decision, saying that the trustees should consider all other alternatives before curtailing class. She added that Santa Ana Unified was in danger of offering its students a “Third World education.”