NEWPORT BEACH : School Budget With Small Surplus OKd
The Newport-Mesa school board has adopted a $78.2-million operating budget for the current school year that provides a small surplus in a district that just a few months ago faced a sizable deficit.
Trustees voted 6-0 Monday to approve the budget, which includes a projected ending balance of $1.4 million. Board member Edward Decker was absent.
In the spring, trustees approved a tentative budget that included layoffs for 135 employees, 57 of them teachers, wiping out a $3.7-million deficit.
When classes begin Sept. 10, about 500 additional students will be attending the district’s schools, while about 50 fewer teachers will be at work. Roughly 24 classified employees and two teachers were hired back earlier this month.
Two more teachers will be hired today, according to district officials.
Because the state budget has not yet been passed, Supt. John Nicoll warned that a 2% across-the-board cut--$650,000--may still be necessary.
For now, board President Forrest Werner said, the district’s “budget is not only balanced, but we have $1.4 million in reserves.”
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