PLACENTIA YORBA LINDA : Meetings Scheduled on School Budget Cuts

Several schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District will hold meetings in the next month to discuss potential budget cuts the district may make because of losses in the county investment pool.

The district has not publicly announced how it will cope with those losses, but parents, school administrators and residents are continuing to meet to seek ways the district can save money.

A preliminary report on what has come out of those meetings is expected at tonight’s meeting of the district board.

The latest settlement offer from the county called for school districts to receive cash payments of about 76 cents on the dollar for money invested in the high-risk commingled pool and 84 cents on the dollar for money in the lower risk bond pool. In addition, districts will receive IOUs from the county for 14 cents on the dollar.

For Placentia-Yorba Linda, which had most of its $84 million invested in the high-risk pool, the total cash payment would be about $64 million; $50 million of that is earmarked for a bond payment due this August.

If the district is able to cash in its IOUs, losses will total about $8 million. Supt. James O. Fleming has already trimmed nearly $1.9 million from the current $100-million annual budget, leaving $6 million in cuts still to be made.

Meetings to discuss how those cuts can be accomplished are scheduled at the following schools: Bryant Ranch Elementary School, Monday at 7 p.m.; Rio Vista Elementary School, April 17 at 7 p.m.; Rose Drive Elementary School, Thursday at 7 p.m.; Ruby Drive Elementary School, today at 10:15 a.m.; Tynes Elementary School, April 20 at 3:45 p.m.; Woodsboro Elementary School, April 6 at 8:15 a.m.; Kraemer Middle School, today at 3:30 p.m.; El Camino Real Continuation School, April 19 at 7 p.m.; Eldorado High School, April 25 at 7:30 p.m.