Antelope Valley District OKs Budget, Cuts 100 School Jobs

The financially troubled Antelope Valley Union High School District has approved a bare-bones budget that will result in more than 100 jobs lost and require teachers to teach more classes for less money.

The $41.6-million budget for 1992-93 includes dramatic spending cuts designed to erase a deficit that would otherwise total about $12.4 million by June, 1993.

The district earlier this year became the first in the state to have a monitor appointed by the Los Angeles County Office of Education to oversee the district’s spending. The budget, adopted by a 4-0 vote of the trustees Wednesday, is expected to win county approval, officials said.

But elements of uncertainty remain in the spending plan. A key assumption is that the district’s 1,000 employees, who are covered by collective bargaining agreements, will accept 7% wage cuts. Talks with teachers about those cuts are being refereed by a state mediator while non-teaching employees have not yet agreed to reopen their contract. Trustee Steve Landaker said the key sticking point of those talks is benefits reductions, which are being sought over and above the wage cuts.

The positions to be eliminated include those of 37 temporary teachers, three vice principals and five district administrators; the rest of the 100 or so workers who will lose their jobs include clerks, custodians, groundskeepers and cafeteria workers.

In addition, the remaining teachers will teach six classes instead of five and each class will have more students. The district’s driver education program is to be eliminated and the operating funds for individual schools will be halved.

Those funds go to pay for such miscellaneous expenses as maintenance and transportation to extracurricular events.

To raise additional revenues, fees for home-to-school bus rides could be imposed later, officials said.

“This is going to be a very tight year,” school board President Sophia Waugh said after the budget was adopted.

Joanne Opdahl, parent of a Quartz Hill High School student, criticized the board for not telling the public what she predicts the budget will do to the size of classes in the 11,500-student district.

“I want this on the public record that it wasn’t said here tonight that classes will be 40 to 45 students or more, and there will be some students without books and desks,” Opdahl said.

Robert Sanchez, the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services, said Thursday that he does not anticipate such shortages.

“I don’t think it’s as bleak a picture as she has painted,” Sanchez said. “We anticipate class sizes of 39 to 40 kids--some bigger, some smaller. I don’t think students will be without textbooks.”