ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Irvine School District Readies for Layoffs : Education: Board indicates that 30 administrators and 120 temporary teachers will be notified of potential layoffs to weather the investment-pool debacle.

School board members in the financially imperiled Irvine Unified School District prepared for the worst Tuesday night, authorizing notice of potential layoff to 120 teachers and 30 administrators.

“This is about survival,” board President Tom Burnham told a packed school board meeting. “We’re starting to cut away at some of the programs that made this school district unique. That’s a concern.”

While board members continue the fight to keep cuts away from arts and athletics, math and science programs, Burnham said the layoffs could cut a “wide swath” through the 21,700-student district as officials try to balance next school year’s $100-million budget.

The board vote was 3 to 2, with the dissenting board members wanting even deeper cuts. But interim Supt. Dean Waldfogel warned that the district would become “dysfunctional” at that level.

The notices of potential layoff will be sent to the district’s 120 temporary teachers, employed on a year-to-year basis. School district officials say they anticipate having to lay off 30 administrators. But the number of teachers who actually lose their jobs may be less than 50.

Administrators who are laid off will have the option of returning to the classroom and exercising “bumping” rights by taking the job of a temporary teacher. District officials say Irvine Unified’s 930 permanent teachers are safe from layoffs.

Steve Garretson, president of the Irvine Teachers Assn., told the school board that teachers should not be penalized for the county’s financial debacle.

“Not a single teacher is responsible for the county’s disaster. Thus, they should not be forced to bear the brunt of any solution,” Garretson said to the sustained applause of more than 300 teachers.

Personnel cuts will range from school psychologists to curriculum coordinators, affecting programs ranging from special education services for disabled children to programs designed for the district’s most gifted students.

The reduction of administrators and other administrative costs could save the district about $1.6 million. School board members previously have identified areas for an additional $1.4 million in savings. But early retirement incentives and normal attrition could further reduce layoffs.

The school district has $107 million in the county’s failed investment pool, more than any public school district in Orange County. District budget planners say Irvine Unified could lose up to $10.7 million under the county’s proposed recovery plan.

The biggest problem facing the school district is a looming $54.5-million bond payment due June 13. If the county does not release sufficient funds in time, the district could be forced into bankruptcy.

Some school board members have begun talks with potential outside lenders in case the county fails to act in time. Peer Swan, board president of the Irvine Ranch Water District, said he would consider making a short-term loan to the district to prevent its bankruptcy.