SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : District Will Rehire 51 Laid-Off Teachers

Despite the continuing state budget stalemate, Capistrano Unified School District officials say they can no longer delay the rehiring of 51 teachers who were laid off earlier this summer.

“We have to get ready to open up the school year,” district spokeswoman Jacqueline Price said. “Whether the state passes a budget or not, there are things we must do. We have a business to run, the business of providing quality educational services for close to 30,000 students who will walk through the doors on Sept. 10.”

On Monday, district trustees are expected to rehire 51 of 58 elementary and secondary school teachers who lost their positions to $10 million in budget cuts made earlier this summer.

Except for the seven remaining elementary music teachers and secondary-level counselors, all of the initial 287 layoff notices sent to teachers last March have been rescinded, Price said.

As for other district positions, the news is not as optimistic. Officials are recommending that the board lay off one more school clerk at San Clemente High School. About 63 classified employees already have been laid off, and officials have little hope at this point of restoring any of those positions, Price said.

In recent months, an unexpectedly large number of teachers have decided to retire, resign or take leaves of absence, making room for the district to rehire most of the teachers, even in the face of additional state education cuts.

“This is going to happen with no help from the state,” Supt. James A. Fleming said. “The kids are coming. School is going to open. It is terribly frustrating to have to operate a public agency with this level of uncertainty.”

In June, in anticipation of severe reductions in state funding, the board approved about $10 million in cuts to help balance a $115-million budget. But until the state passes its budget, school officials won’t know if more cuts are needed, or if gutted programs can be restored.

Judging from most recent indications from the state on Friday, Fleming said the district may not be facing any additional cuts.

“The signs are a little more hopeful,” Fleming said.