3 Capo Schools Officially Spared

Trustees for the Capistrano Unified School District have approved a budget that spares three elementary schools previously considered for closure.

Bracing for a multimillion-dollar revenue shortfall, the seven-member board on Monday unanimously adopted a sweeping package of cuts for the next two years.

Last month, district Supt. James A. Fleming recommended closing the Carl Hankey, Del Obispo and Foxborough campuses next year as part of a broader effort to shave about $12 million from the district’s budget. Shutting the schools, he said, would save about $1.3 million.

But an outpouring of parent anger and concern over the proposal forced district officials to back off. Instead, Fleming urged that trustees save money at the three schools by, among other things, consolidating principals, classes and custodians. As in all California school districts, Capistrano trustees had to vote on the cuts by this week to meet state-mandated deadlines. They may be able to rescind some or all of their decisions in coming months if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers agree to distribute an anticipated $1.4 billion in additional school funding. The payout would result in an infusion of about $10 million for Capistrano, district officials have said.