BREA : School Board OKs $19.6-Million Budget

Declaring the school district in “pretty good shape,” the Brea-Olinda Board of Education approved Monday a $19.6-million spending plan for fiscal year 1992-93.

Except for some minor adjustments, the budget was essentially the same as the preliminary one which the board approved in June.

However, further adjustments may be in the offing now that the a state budget has been approved and local officials are beginning to analyze the impact of the cuts.

The district has projected revenue of $19.7 million. Expenditures are estimated at $19.6 million, following a series of cuts, initiated since June.

Seal said the combination of cuts and fee increases, totaling $1.03 million, enabled the district to balance the budget and meet state-mandated reserves.

Officials said they are prepared to cut an additional $102,300 if necessary.

“We’re in pretty good shape, much better than many school districts,” School Board President Lynn Daucher said after the board voted 5-0 to approve the budget. Daucher, Barbara Paxton, Susie D. Sokol, Frank Davies and Bernie P. Kilcoyne voted in favor of the budget. Board members Brian R. Burt and Leonard MacKain were absent for the vote.

The board shelved a controversial plan for a home-to-school bus fee that was expected to generate $50,000 in revenue. Under this plan, parents would have been charged $100 for the first student, $75 for the second student and $50 for the third student, up to a maximum of $225 per family per year.

Also dropped was a plan to combine all freshman and sophomore teams in high school athletics, which would have saved the district $3,000.

However, the board approved other measures that included: increasing the bus fee for extracurricular activities from $35 to $40; increasing by $5 per week the fees for extended day-care programs; deferring $70,000 in school maintenance; laying off maintenance personnel to save $40,000; and not replacing a special programs director.

This year, the district also increased the ratio of teachers to students. At the elementary level there is an average of one teacher for every 32 students. The move will save the district about $350,000.