Staffing, Maintenance Cuts Approved
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District board has approved more than $2.25 million in budget cuts at recent meetings, mostly in areas of staffing and maintenance.
Though board members said those trims would have the least direct effect on students and the curriculum, they said that they could compound already critical maintenance problems.
Officials have estimated that $15 million in repairs are needed for schools in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.
One of the major cuts will be reducing the number of staff members at the district’s Instructional Media Support center, which houses books, films, videos and machines used in classrooms.
The board also has approved a 10% budget reduction in all administrative departments and staff cuts for elementary computer aides and employees at the district warehouse.
There will also be fewer nurses treating children at district schools, officials said.
Despite the trims made so far, the board still needs to cut more than $1 million more to balance its budget, which includes a 7% raise for teachers.
--BY HOPE HAMASHIGE, LESLEY WRIGHT AND JENNIFER LEUER
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