COSTA MESA / NEWPORT BEACH : School Trustees to Review List of Possible Budget Cuts

Newport-Mesa Unified School District board members will meet in a special session Monday to review up to $8.2 million in possible budget cuts to keep the district solvent as a result of county investment pool losses.

The board received a 63-item list of ideas for cuts earlier this week from a task force of residents and employees. The group ranked the potential cuts to the district’s $86.8-million annual budget from most to least important.

Officials have said they hope to follow the task force’s recommendation to exhaust all other options for bringing in more money before making any cuts.

Supt. Mac Bernd will prepare a number of choices for making the cuts, depending on how much the district loses when the pool bankruptcy is settled. The district could lose as much as $8.2 million or as little as $3 million under a proposed county plan, Bernd has said.

Officials are also working to restructure the $47-million loan the district took out to invest in the now-failed investment pool.

District officials are also considering selling surplus property. One developer recently offered to buy the vacant Costa Mesa High School farm property for $10 million.

The board will not decide what to cut Monday but is likely to make some decisions at its regular meeting Tuesday. Board members have said they must decide by March 1 whether teachers may face layoffs.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the Harper Community Board Room, 425 E. 18th St., Costa Mesa.