EDITORIAL: Tough times in schools

The Laguna Beach Unified School District passed a milestone this week. It wasn’t something that happened; it was what didn’t happen “” pink slips.

Sunday is the deadline by which public schools must notify staff of possible future layoffs. The layoffs don’t actually go into effect right then, but teachers and other employees are put on notice that they may face the loss of their jobs by the end of the school year.

So this was the week when school district officials had to sit down and decide what, if any, job cuts would be necessary to balance their books next year.

With the state having cut K-12 education funds by $11.6 billion “” that’s a “b” “” to balance its budget, and with property taxes expected to plummet this year, the prospect for deep cuts are very real. At least, everywhere but in Laguna Beach and in other districts that do not depend on direct funding from the state.

Not that Laguna isn’t expecting to get less money this year. School officials are anticipating receiving 85% of the funds the district normally gets from the state, and its adult education program will be cut by 15% this year.

But there is some good news.

Assistant Supt. of Business Services Norma Shelton told the board Tuesday that the district has already received $175,000 from a projected $190,000 in developer fees for the year.

The district has a healthy reserve and will even be able to move forward on some pet projects, she said.

While property taxes elsewhere are probably going to decline in the foreseeable future, Orange County’s property taxes “” the primary funder of the local school system “” are projected to remain flat or increase slightly.

While other districts are facing the anguish of lost jobs and programs, Laguna is bracing for a huge influx of job-seekers, perhaps 1,000 or more for a handful of openings.

In nearby Capistrano Unified, more than 407 pink slips were issued this week. In Los Angeles, teachers staged an old-fashioned sit-in at Board of Education offices to protest layoff notices for 9,000 employees, including 5,500 teachers.

Laguna Beach teachers plan to wear pink to work today in solidarity with their peers who face job losses.

Fortunately for them and the students they serve, they are not going to be on the receiving end of the pink onslaught.