Coaches Vote to End the Boycott : High schools: Orange district coaches decide to return to work. But several positions and lower-level programs will be cut.

Coaches in the Orange Unified School District ended their two-day boycott Wednesday after accepting a district proposal that reinstates most athletic stipends, school officials said.

Coaches had voted, 40-35, Tuesday to reject the same proposal, which will cut 13 of 75 coaching positions at each school and eliminate some lower-level programs.

Football coaches from Canyon, El Modena and Villa Park high schools began workouts Wednesday, hours after they voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposal that trims $235,768, mostly from the district’s athletic budget. The Orange High School football coaching staff defied the boycott and began workouts Tuesday.

“This proposal has actually had three or four lives,” said Joyce Capelle, the district’s chief fiscal officer. “The bottom line is that all the coaches are back coaching.”

The announcement ended a third day of talks. Principals from the four schools called coaches Wednesday morning and conducted another vote.

“The principals impressed upon them that times are bad and this basically was the best offer they were going to get,” Canyon Athletic Director Steve Anderson said.

Coaches and district officials have been at odds over a 50% reduction in stipends. The cut was part of the collective bargaining agreement, approved Aug. 12 by the Orange Unified Education Assn.

The approved proposal will eliminate one level of competition at each school for baseball, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, softball, girls’ volleyball and wrestling. District officials estimate they will save $50,666 on transportation fees and $14,598 on officials’ fees with these cuts.

The district will save $114,636 in stipend cuts, which include 8 1/2 non-athletic stipends at each school. Those non-athletic stipend cuts came out of the principals’ budget.

Also cut was 1 1/2 stipends for athletic trainers. Each school now has half a stipend, $1,200, for a trainer.

“I’m not happy with it,” El Modena football Coach Bill Backstrom said. “The problem is we had our backs against the wall. They knew it. The bottom line is the union signed a contract. You have to deal in reality.”

Others were worried about what that reality means.

By eliminating one level in the six sports, the schools also risk a decrease in participation.

“There’ll be some kids who just won’t come out for sports because there won’t be a team,” El Modena Athletic Director Don Mott said. “I think the people who worked on this figured that there are youth teams out there for those kids.”

There was speculation that those levels could be restored, if coaches could raise the money to fund the stipends. But that was on the condition that the four schools would all be able to fund those stipends.

“It’s hard enough to come up with the money we need right now,” El Modena basketball Coach Tim Tivenan said. “Basically, you will lose that average player. Maybe he wouldn’t be a starter, but he would be one of those good kids you like to have on the team.”

Coaches were less concerned about the athletic trainer cuts. Although there is only half a stipend available, they said they would be able to raise the money to fund at least one trainer to work 25-30 hours per week.

“That’s something we can work out,” Backstrom said. “We’ll just have to be more efficient. Besides, you don’t need trainers if you don’t have programs.”

Also cut from the budget was $42,000 that was allocated to middle schools sports. Those programs were eliminated entirely.

Coaches were concerned that without those programs, students could be lost to gangs. The programs have been consistently trimmed over the past 10 years, according to Backstrom.

“In that time the number of gangs have jumped from four to 18,” said Backstrom, who recently studied the gang issue with the Orange Police Dept.

Said Anderson: “That was one of the major stumbling blocks. They run a great program at the middle schools and it really didn’t save all that much money.”

The proposal also includes suggestions to limit away games to a 30-mile radius and eliminate transportation for Saturday competitions. It also restored a floating stipend, cut two years ago, which will be assigned to girls’ volleyball for one year.

There were also provisions limiting travel for non-athletic events.

“I like the proposal,” Villa Park football Coach Pat Mahoney said. “The talk last spring was that there were going to be cuts. A lot of us have been relying on booster clubs for the last 10 years. Maybe that’s the direction and we have to accept that.”

What they couldn’t accept was the across-the-board 50% reduction.

“That came out of the blue,” Mahoney said. “We put too much time in to take a hit like that.”

Coaches learned of the cut a little more than a week ago. On Sunday, they voted, 85-2, to boycott until all stipends were restored in full.

Football practice was scheduled to begin Monday, but players found themselves running their own practices.

More than 200 parents and students attended a board meeting last Thursday to protest the decision. On Wednesday, members of the Canyon football team, cheerleaders and booster club leaders were protesting the cutbacks in a rally outside the district office.

The protest ended after about a half hour with the announcement that the stipends had been restored, and football practice was scheduled for 4 p.m.

“These guys got us this time, but I’m not going to lose the next battle,” Backstrom said. “We’re going to get this cleared up before it gets this far next time.”

Times staff writer Jodi Wilgoren contributed to this story.

Where the Cuts Will Come From Proposed Stipend Cuts Per High School

Athletic trainer: $2,362 Athletic trainer: $1,200 Football assistants (2): $2,469 Boys’ basketball freshman or sophomore coach: $1,260 Baseball freshman or sophomore coach: $1,222 Wrestling freshman or sophomore coach: $1,260 Boys’ or girls’ track-field freshman or sophomore coaches (2): $2,516 Boys’ or girls’ track-field varsity coach: $2,037 Boys’ or girls’ cross-country varsity coach: $1,525 Boys’ or girls’ swimming varsity coach: $1,777 Girls’ volleyball freshman or sophomore coach: $1,162 Girls’ basketball freshman or sophomore coach: $1,260 Softball freshman or sophomore coach: $1,222 Drill team director: $1,616 Assistant music/dance director: $772 Dance director: $1,243 Speech director: $1,340 Freshman class adviser: $823 Sophomore class adviser: 823 Mock trial adviser: $770 TOTAL PER SCHOOL: $28,659 TOTAL FOR DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS: $114,636

Other Proposed Cuts Athletic transportation mileage cuts: $50,666 Non-athletic transportation mileage cuts: $8,000 Officials fees: $14,598 Equipment ($1,500 per school): $6,000 Middle school sports coordinators (5 x $8,400): $42,000 TOTAL OF ALL PROPOSED CUTS: $235,768

SOURCE: Orange Unified School District