District Expects $3 Million in State Money : Education: Trustees plan to hold onto the windfall as a cushion against future cutbacks.

Glendale school officials said Tuesday that they expect to collect nearly $3 million more in state funds this year than they had anticipated in June, when the Board of Education trimmed $6.3 million to balance the district budget.

The windfall is enough to reinstate an array of student services that have already been cut, but officials say the money is likely to end up in a contingency fund to protect the district from having to slash additional educational programs in future years.

“It’s like that commercial,” Supt. Robert Sanchis told the board Tuesday. “You pay now or you pay later. We prepared for the worst-case scenario.”

Board members did not comment on the report but planned to discuss funding options at their Oct. 7 meeting.

Two weeks ago, Sanchis had reported to the board that the state budget might restore $800,000 to the district, but administrators came up with the higher figure, based on information received last week from a private consulting group that analyzed the impact of the state budget on local districts.

The district will collect $2 million more in General Fund appropriations and $1 million more in supplemental grants than the staff had budgeted, Assistant Supt. Steve Hodgson said. It will also receive $500,000 more in year-round education funding, which will help pay back part of a $15-million construction loan for classroom additions, he said.

In contrast, district officials say the state cut categorical funding by up to $500,000, and bridled Proposition 98, the voter-approved initiative guaranteeing a minimum of state spending for schools.

“It’s not because we didn’t anticipate correctly,” Hodgson said. “The compromise in Sacramento involved capping long-term funding. That’s what holds us in check for the next two years.”

Gov. Pete Wilson and the Legislature reached a budget compromise early in September, more than two months after the beginning of the fiscal year. Like many local school boards, Glendale Unified had severely cut educational programs and district staff in adopting a fiscally conservative budget June 30. As a result, it now finds itself with uncommitted revenue.

Sacramento may have eased the district’s financial crisis this year, but school officials say the real crunch is yet to come, because a provision in the state budget caps future educational funding.