FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Layoff of Classified Employees OKd

The Fountain Valley School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously last week to lay off 46 classified employees but district officials said some of them may be reinstated in September.

Citing decreasing state funding and the loss of grants that helped pay salaries, trustees authorized issuing 30-day notices to 39 instructional aides, two computer aides, five assistants in the English Language Acquisition Center and one bilingual tutor.

Bob Sampica, assistant superintendent of administration, said that most of the instructional aides will probably be reinstated by September, when the state is expected to reissue funding for the district’s School Improvement Program, which enabled the district to hire the 39 aides for this last school year.

“We probably won’t find out until late summer,” Sampica said. “We do anticipate most of them will return to duty but with a reduction of hours.”

He added that positions for the two computer aides, which were funded by donations from the Parent-Teacher Assn., may also return in the fall.

The English Language Acquisition Center assistants and the bilingual tutor could also be reinstated if the district receives another federal Title VII/English Language Acquisition grant. The district has applied for the grant and is awaiting a response.

Earlier this year, the board took action to ensure that funding would be availble for all basic, new and discretionary programs and to avoid laying off certified personnel.