SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : 140 Teaching, Other Positions to Be Cut

More than 140 full-time teaching and staff positions will be eliminated and average class sizes will be increased by one student under a $110-million budget adopted this week by the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees.

But until the state adopts its own budget, the district won’t know if all the $10 million in cuts adopted under the budget will be needed, or if more will be coming, Supt. James A. Fleming told the board Monday.

Fleming said the district expects to lose about $80 per student in basic state funding alone during the coming school year, or about $2.4 million.

Under the budget, which would be changed as new information from the state becomes available, 144 full-time positions are slated for elimination, including, among others, 12 administrators, 12 clerical staff members, 10 janitors, four groundskeepers, 26 instructional aides, three guidance counselors and 47 teachers.

In a related action, the board approved sending 30-day layoff notices to 10 more classified employees, including a building trades supervisor and janitors.

Officials are not yet sure how many people will actually lose their jobs since many will be able to transfer to other vacant positions or new schools. Also, once the state adopts its budget, district officials say they hope to rescind additional layoff notices sent to 88 teachers in March.

The total slated position cuts represent about 10% of the administrative work force, 6% of the classified staff and 3.9% of the teaching staff, Fleming said. The district will also start charging a new annual busing fee of up to $180 per student, which will help the district recover about half of its transportation costs.

“We wanted to go to the classroom last and have the least impact there,” Fleming said.

But Lois Anderson, president-elect of the Capistrano Unified Education Assn., the teachers’ union, said many members are beginning to question that commitment.

“How can you convince the students, the teachers, or the community that we are indeed in a crisis that requires major sacrifice and vocal community action when you hide the true impact of this crisis by absorbing it where it is least visible but most crucial--behind the doors of classrooms and in the wages and working conditions of employees?” she said.

Employees were especially concerned about $2.1 million in undetermined salary or benefit reductions and the slated elimination of a noontime supervision program, which would save the district about $335,000.

About 150 part-time workers watch over the school yards and students during the lunch periods, giving teachers the time to do such things as help students with homework, organize plays and provide guidance counseling.

Trustee E.G. (Ted) Kopp also suggested that the board cut such things as the physical education requirement for high school juniors rather than eliminate elementary-level reading and music programs.

“We should not be cutting the elementary programs,” he said. “I firmly believe these are the most important programs we have.”