Budget cut protests aired

Mike Sciacca

Residents packed the high school district education center Tuesday

night to plead with the board not to cut funds from the health and

physical education programs.

The three-hour study session focused on $3.7 million in proposed

cuts to the $126.2 million budget, presented by retiring Huntington

Beach Union High School District Supt. Susan Roper in April. The

board will vote on the budget on May 13.

The board heard from speaker after speaker on various budget

reduction proposals, most of which are in personnel.

Of Roper’s 58 proposed cuts, the two hit on most by the 68

residents who spoke were to the health and physical education

programs.

Roper proposed integrating health education into the life science

courses, which would mean revising all life science courses at the

district’s six high schools to integrate mandated health standards.

It also would eliminate health education as a district graduation

requirement.

“I’m greatly opposed to any cuts that would affect health

education,” said Jeff Hyder, a Huntington Beach native and 1978

graduate of Edison High School.

His daughter is a freshman at Edison.

“How can you fight so hard to get health education added to a

curriculum, like the district did a few years ago, and then release

it from the curriculum so easily?” he asked. “I mean, they added it

to make it a graduation requirement and then, just like that, they

say, ‘Hey, it’s not needed as a requirement anymore.’ A parent in any

given, average household does not have the time to take an hour a day

to discuss with their children health crises such as obesity, STDs

and the plight of adolescence today. That just won’t happen.”

Cuts to the physical education programs that had many up in arms

include eliminating the option for juniors and seniors to take

various sports classes for elective credits, and the reduction of

district support for athletic and co-curricular activities.

“What I hope the board walked away with from the meeting is that

they understand the tremendous concern that teachers, students and

the community have in regards to the importance of health and

physical education,” said Bruce Belcher, athletic director at Edison

High. “Not allowing juniors and seniors in PE would drastically

impact those classes.”

The proposal to slash such sports classes brought out the surf

teams from Edison and Huntington Beach in full force, as well as the

wrestling program from Fountain Valley High School.

Many surf team members came armed with speeches, but most did not

go to the podium after board President Susan Henry told those in

attendance that the surf team programs would not be affected. When

asked if surf classes would get the ax, Roper paused, and then told

the audience that they would not.

Edison student athletes wore T-shirts bearing the slogan “Keep the

Surf in Surf City: Save Edison Surf.”

“As I reflect back on my past four years of high school, I have

come to realize that all of my accomplishments and all of my efforts

have been linked to my participation in the surf program,” said Eva

Lewington, a senior at Huntington Beach High. She is a member of the

school’s surf team and enrolled in the surf class. “I know that

without this surf program, I would not have the opportunities to

pursue my dreams of becoming a professional surfer.

“There is amazing talent coming up in the next couple of years,”

she said. “It hurts me to think that the talent of the future might

have the doors shut on them simply because someone felt that their

talent is not worth the money. It is in the best interest of the

district to rethink their decision in the areas of budget cuts. Cuts

should not be made where they will directly affect the well-being and

the future of the students.”

“It makes our decisions easier when we hear the community and

staff speak out,” said Michael Simons, a member of the board of

trustees. “It gives us more balance when we decide on where cuts

should be made.

“Ideally, all of us on the board want to keep cuts as far away

from the classroom as possible so as to not affect the students. But

with a least amount of options available where cuts are concerned, it

is a difficult task.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.