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Hacienda La Puente Unified School District Board OKs $5.7 Million in Cuts

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Shirley Hsu, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Calif.

May 26--HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- The Hacienda La Puente Unified School District board slashed $5.7 million from its budget late Thursday, deciding not to fill six high school teacher vacancies and made cuts to various departments.

Not filling the teacher positions will save $336,000. The board also cut $225,000 from the school police department, including one position.

The cuts were due to declining enrollment, according to school board members, who said at least $5.5 million would have to be slashed from its $117 million budget.

Thursday's action by the board came after weeks of parent protest over rumors of school closures and classified employees objecting to job cuts in the 62,000-student district.

A 26-member budget advisory committee of district employees, teachers and parents last week suggested drastically reducing or even eliminating the police department, but several board members were concerned about the effects on school safety and truancies.

Board member Sandy Johnson said the district could get more bang for its buck by using the sheriff's department, and that she favored spending money on counselors to prevent misbehavior rather than police officers.

The network computer services department had several positions reduced or cut.

Sue Walker, public relations chairwoman for the classified employees association, said she was concerned about the cuts to technology staff.

"I'm afraid that is going to indirectly and directly affect service to students and support staff," she said. Positions that were cut included a video technician and a software engineer.

Also cut were the communications department, at a savings of $155,600.

Ten special-education instructional aides vacancies will not be filled, and four "special day class" teacher positions will be reduced. One assistant principal at Valley High School was cut.

An energy-conservation manager position was eliminated at a savings of $130,000.

A filled board room of about 150 people applauded when the final figure was tallied up.

But the biggest applause came when two fourth-graders braved the microphone to plead with board members not to close their school, Wedgeworth Elementary.

While schools are not in danger of being cut this year, parents and students at some campuses were concerned about future closures. Fourth-graders Emily Ishida and Jamie Lim said they gave a packet to the school board containing a message from every student at Wedgeworth.

"I don't think it's fair to the kindergartners who won't get to go to fifth grade here," said Ishida, vice president of the student council.

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Copyright (c) 2006, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune

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