School budget approved The school board adopted...

School budget approved

The school board adopted its final budget Tuesday night, but

nothing will be final until Gov. Gray Davis approves a state budget,

due July 1 but rarely in on time. School districts are required to

submit approved budgets to the state by June 30 without knowing the

exact amount they’ll have to work with from the state.

Should Davis’ May revise hold up, or at least include the

equitable treatment of basic-aid districts like other districts,

Laguna Beach Unified School District will need to cut about $400,000

from its $4.9-million budget, not the $4 million district officials

initially feared they’d need to trim.

Most of the cuts will be made to the schools’ supplies -- books,

computers, software, paper. Salaries, meanwhile, comprise 85% of the

expenditures.

Assistant Supt. Norma Shelton explained that cutting supplies at

this stage provides staff and the board more flexibility when

consulting with the principal at each site in determining what they

feel they need to adequately function. Supplies can be cut in smaller

chunks, which isn’t the case with salaries, she said.

-- Mike Swanson