High schools eye $13.3 million in cuts

The Huntington Beach Union High School District may cut up to $13.3 million for the upcoming school year, after the board of trustees accepted another round of budget trims Tuesday.

The board accepted nearly all of Supt. Van W. Riley’s proposals for a new round of $4.3 million in budget savings to add to the $9 million already under consideration for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Riley brought his plan to the board after the state, facing a budget crisis, cut $4.3 million from the district after voters rejected a number of emergency funding measures in the May special election.

The plan will, among other things, scale back textbook funding and implement an energy savings plan, without further reductions to classified staff and teaching positions. The only proposed cut that went unapproved was one to lay off three assistant principals from five campuses.

The superintendent’s overall plan will rely on part of the district’s designated reserve fund, which is fueled by funds from categorical balances like summer school, in addition to federal stimulus funds, to stay afloat, Riley said in a statement.

“I am very pleased that our district is in a better financial position than many other districts in the state,” he wrote. “Unless the state makes further cuts to our budget in the next three years, our district will be able to meet all financial obligations with no further reductions in staffing or program for financial reasons.”

Board President Bonnie Castrey, though, had a less optimistic view. These additional cuts would come right after the board was forced to cut $5.3 million for the current year in February, she noted. The district has reduced expenditures by $24.1 million over just the past 13 months, compared to reductions totaling $30 million over the past 13 years.

While the board has been “very prudent and very frugal,” all the savings accumulated over the years are now gone, Castrey said. And cuts will impact the entire community, with some classes being cut entirely, she said.

The board will integrate the approved proposal into the final fiscal budget for 2009-10, which will be determined June 23. The $13.3 million in reductions will become effective July 1.

“It’s a tragedy,” Castrey said. “It’s going to be very tough and very tight.”