ORANGE : School District, Union to End Talks
Languishing since last summer, negotiations between the Orange Unified School District and its classified employees union are expected to conclude this week, district officials said.
At stake may be the district’s assertion to county education officials that the cash-strapped district will be financially sound next year. Earlier this month, the district’s board approved a “positive” financial certification for the district.
State law requires school districts to file financial status papers annually so that education officials can monitor a school system’s fiscal health. A district can file a “positive,” “qualified” or “negative” ranking. If a district files a qualified or negative report, the district’s credit ratings could be damaged.
Board members approved the positive certification, assuming they could obtain an additional $130,000 in savings from the union negotiations. The district needs the $130,000 to balance its $107-million 1993-94 budget, chief fiscal officer Joyce Capelle said.
If the district cannot get the $130,000 from union negotiations, the district’s financial reputation, which has been steadily improving in recent years, could be jeopardized.
The union may find the necessary savings by reducing its health benefits, but officials would not elaborate further.
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