Long Beach : $297-Million School Budget

School district officials have unveiled a $297-million tentative budget that calls for a $56-million, or 23%, increase in spending next school year.

The increase is the result of an expected 2,000 more students, which would push total enrollment to 66,000 next fall. Many of the new students are expected to be immigrants who do not speak English and for whom special funding is available, district officials said.

Included in the new budget will be about $5.7 million in lottery revenues, most of which is earmarked for textbook purchases and maintenance projects, said spokesman Richard Van Der Laan.

About $188.5 million will come from the state and about $11 million from federal programs, he said.

The bulk of the district’s money will be spent on salaries: about $121 million to pay certificated employees such as teachers and administrators, and $30 million for other employees such as classroom aides, secretaries and bus drivers.

A more detailed budget will be available to the public Aug. 18, with a hearing before the Board of Education on Aug. 25, and adoption set for Sept. 3.