City School District approves budget

The Huntington Beach City School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year that will eliminate and reduce jobs, cut programs and increase class sizes.

The budget outlines an extensive list of cuts to combat a $21-million deficit the district would be facing over the next three years.

Librarians, some bus drivers, night custodians and special education instructional assistants will be losing their jobs, and many more classified staff positions will be reduced. District employees will also be facing compensation adjustment.

Middle school zero period will be cut to save $20,000, and class sizes for the first and second grades will increase.

In the coming school year, class sizes will increase to 24 students to save $558,180, and they will go up to 30 students in 2010-11 to cut $967,347 from the deficit.

— Britney Barnes