Schools resigned to severe cuts

Deirdre Newman

School officials reacted to the governor’s proposal for slashing

$1.9 billion in education budget funds with the same resignation as

when getting a fruitcake for Christmas.

“It’s about what we expected. It’s pretty big. It’s ugly,” said

Paul Reed, assistant superintendent for the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District.

Gov. Gray Davis on Friday suggested cutting $3.4 billion from this

year’s total budget to combat poor economic recovery throughout the

state. The legislature will begin considering the proposal Monday.

The governor proposes cutting K-12 funding by $1.5 billion for the

year, while withholding another $143 million previously set aside.

For Newport-Mesa, the fallout depends on how much will be slashed

from various programs and how much flexibility the state will allow

in terms of shifting funding that is designated for specific

programs, Reed said.

The district is not affected by the withholding of the $143

million, Reed added.

Officials at the K-12, community college and University of

California levels said it’s much too early to know the exact effect

of the proposed cuts.

For the community colleges, $97.5 million would be cut for the

year, and a $38-million shortfall in local property taxes would not

be offset by state funds. There would also be an $80-million

reduction in funding for K-12 students taking courses at community

colleges.

For the UC system, Davis proposed $74 million in mid-year cuts, on

top of cuts already implemented earlier this year. The cuts include a

$19-million unallocated budget reduction, which the Board of Regents

is considering offsetting by a $135 increase in student fees for the

spring 2003 term.

While UC Irvine officials are expecting even more severe budget

cuts during the 2003-04 school year, they are still hoping for

funding to hire additional faculty.

“We’re one of, if not the top-most growing, campuses and we’re

overenrolled this year by about 1,000 students,” said Roy Dormaier,

vice-chancellor of planning and budget. “The governor has talked

about protecting instructional workload and growth. He still wants us

to take more students.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.