SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Budget Plan Includes $10 Million in Cuts

Fearing additional state budget cuts, Capistrano Unified School District officials are recommending that the Board of Trustees adopt a final budget Monday that includes about $10 million in reductions, including the elimination of 144 teaching and staff positions.

Until the state passes its budget, district officials say they will not be able to rescind any of the remaining 88 preliminary layoff notices sent to teachers and guidance counselors in March.

The final budget proposal also calls for eliminating 45 classified positions, including those held by janitors, groundskeepers and reading aides. Forty-two classified staff members have already been notified that their positions could be cut in the next 30 days.

District officials said there is still a possibility that some of the teaching and classified layoff notices will be rescinded.

“But we still don’t know what our final funding will be from the state,” said Carleen Wing-Chandler, manager of fiscal services.

Earlier this month, the board approved a preliminary $114.8-million 1992-93 budget outlining $8.2 million in reductions, including a new annual busing fee of up to $180 per student. At that time, the board also approved implementing a $12.7-million reduction plan in case extra cuts were needed.

Although there is still no specific information from the state, Supt. James A. Fleming has recommended that the board make an additional $1.8 million in “painful but necessary” cuts to maintain the “fiscal integrity of the school district.”

The final $110-million budget proposal, which under state law must be passed by Tuesday, anticipates a decrease of $39 per student in state funding.

Under the proposal, average class size in the district would increase by one student, a move that would save about $1.2 million but require the elimination 31 teaching positions.

Academic programs are also among those slated for severe cuts, including the outdoor education program, the Las Palmas Model School enhancement, middle school intramural programs, the “Reading to Write” program and elementary school music programs.

In addition to the state education cuts, the district is also experiencing a decline in enrollment and is projecting that 29,403 students will attend district school in 1992-93, Fleming said in a report to the board.

“It is not known whether this is a temporary phenomena or a significant change in enrollment trends for this school district, as well as the entire state,” he said. “The bottom line, however, is that fewer students result in fewer revenue dollars.”