ANAHEIM : School Cuts Affect Classified Personnel

Budget cuts that take effect July 1 will mean classrooms in the Anaheim Union High School District will be cleaned half as often as they are now and the number of athletic department managers will be reduced by 50%.

In continuing efforts to trim $3.5 million from the district’s forthcoming $105-million budget, which needs to be balanced by July 1, the school board last week approved layoffs of 30 classified personnel.

“This is the toughest thing I have to do as a personnel director,” said Robert Lee, director of classified personnel at the 21-campus district. “Even a guy who just came back from Desert Storm is going to have to go.”

The job cuts should save the district about $700,000. They include 25 custodians, four athletic field/equipment managers and one public information officer.

Lee said the cuts are not likely to affect students at the district directly, with the main changes being the frequency that the classrooms are cleaned and a smaller staff in boys’ athletics.

Earlier this year, the district eliminated driver-education classes for about 1,600 sophomore students, saving the district about $150,000. The district also plans to cut its Instructional Television program for a savings of about $500,000.