School officials optimistic about proposed budget

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT-MESA -- Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials reacted

with guarded optimism to this year’s proposed state budget, unveiled

Thursday.

“I think the governor tried to do exactly what he said -- to do

everything he can to preserve education,” Assistant Supt. Mike Fine said.

“On the surface, clearly [Gov. Gray Davis] has made an attempt to hold

education at arms length from everything else. If it works, he deserves a

compliment.”

The proposed budget provides a $1.2-billion increase in discretionary

funding for kindergarten through 12th-grade education. But this could be

offset by anticipated midyear budget cuts, which would take an

approximately $800-million bite out of that number, Fine said.

The budget also includes $400 million in targeted assistancefor

low-performing schools. Wilson Elementary School, in Costa Mesa, is the

only school in the district to apply for a low-performing schools grant.

Some $75 million is budgeted for before- and after-school programs.

Fine said it’s too early to know if the district will be eligible for any

additional money in this area.

Another $625 million has been allotted for textbook materials and

instructional equipment, which Fine anticipates will mean about the same

amount as last year for the district.

Teacher training and recruitment programs begun during theDavis

administration are also fully funded, with more than $160 million set

aside to continue them. That doesn’t necessarily mean more money for the

district, though, because more teachers need to be trained every year,

Fine said.

The budget also includes $487 million in budget cuts, including a 10%

reduction for independent study programs.

Fine said that would translate into an approximately $500 cut per

student. It costs between $5,000 and $6,000 for each of the 300 students

in the district’s independent study program.

Community colleges received a $104.2-million increase. with no fee

hike. But they also will be hit with $133.7 million in cuts, including

$58 million in CalWORKS-related programs.

The budget also fully funds enrollment growth at 3.5%for UC schools

and does not include any fee increases. UC Irvine also scored a major

coup with a $55.3-million allocation for an interdisciplinary laboratory

for the Schools of Biological and Physical Sciences.