Report Card

Paul Clinton

A closer look at a list of proposed cuts to the Huntington Beach City

School District’s 2002-03 budget shows few hits to the district’s ability

to teach children.

Supt. Gary Rutherford publicly unveiled $1.1 million in cuts on May 7.

The board is scheduled to take up the proposal at its May 21 meeting.

The cuts, administrators said, are a result of Gov. Gray Davis having

slashed funding for schools as the state faces a $22-billion budget

deficit.

“We’ll have to give up our pound of flesh,” Rutherford said. “In

short, our revenue stream is going to be less than we projected.”

Of Rutherford’s 12 proposed cuts, only three will cause minor

headaches for teachers.

He has recommended reducing teaching positions, but no teachers would

lose their jobs. Instead of laying off teachers the district will not

fill vacant teaching positions or replace retiring teachers. District

officials also will not renew several temporary positions.

For its fourth-grade and fifth-grade classes, the district would move

to a ratio of 30-to-1. Kindergarten through third-grade classes would

move to a 20-to-1 ratio.

The district has been operating at lower ratios in recent years.

He has also recommended eliminating the so-called “discretionary”

funds handed to kindergarten, fourth-grade and fifth-grade programs.

In the past, schools have used those funds to hire classroom aides.

While they have enjoyed them in times of plenty, some principals said the

move wouldn’t hamper their instructional efforts.

“That was a nice luxury,” Perry Elementary School Principal Elaine

Keeley said. “But when I taught, we didn’t have any extra funds . . .

These cuts are far away from the instructional programs.”

Under Rutherford’s proposal, teachers would also lose their

reimbursements for out-of-pocket classroom expenses. The district was

providing up to $200 per school year.

Of all the cuts, about $840,000 can be counted as shifts in the way

resources are allocated. For example, Rutherford is proposing putting

$200,000 in lease revenue toward ongoing maintenance instead of dumping

it into the general fund.

The school leases out Burke School, which has been closed for more

than a decade, to the Huntington Christian School.

If the state’s budget crisis abates, Rutherford said he would send

funding back to these areas.

“My overall theme is we are planning for the worst and hoping for the

best,” Rutherford said. “If the news improves at the state level, we’ll

take a second look at restoring these programs.”

Golden West students given kudos, cash

Golden West College honored its best and brightest at the annual

awards ceremony on campus.

About 200 students who have achieved some measure of academic

excellence were handed $110,000 in scholarship money and some public

recognition.

The students were honored Tuesday at the school’s outdoor amphitheater

in front of more than 500 friends and family members. It was the 16th

annual scholarship and awards convocation.

The school has handed out $1.53 million in scholarship money since

1986.

The money will help students returning to Golden West in the fall or

continuing their studies at four-year universities. Some of the

scholarship money is also awarded to high school students planning to

attend Golden West.

A reception and student art exhibition followed the awards ceremony in

the college’s art gallery.