By Sara Ballenger
The Los Altos School District projects a $3 million deficit for the 2001-2002 school year. With that in mind, the Budget Review Committee went to work at its April 9 meeting with its recommendations for budget cuts.
Site-specific cuts itemized in the list ranged from copiers to art, speech and library aides.
The recommended cuts are enough to reduce expenditures by $3 million, thus balancing the budget. However, Budget Review Committee members are hoping to only cut $1 million in programs while raising the remaining $2 million through donations from the community.
The list comprised 43 items with those at the top of the list to be cut first. The first item on is the “Revised Staffing Plan,” which represents $800,000 in budget reductions.
“The plan has 10 fewer teachers than we have this year, so it does raise class size slightly,” said Superintendent Marge Gratiot. “However, our class size was extremely low last year.”
“The current direction proposed by the Budget Review Committee includes nearly a 10 percent cutback in the number of teachers next year, with severe cutbacks in other programs and services,” said Jim Grijalva, Negotiations Committee member of the Los Altos Teachers Association.
If the new staffing plan is implemented, Gratiot estimates that kindergarten classes will have no more than 24 students; first-grade classes will have no more than 20 students; second and third-grade classes will have no more than 24 students; fourth-grade classes will have no more than 25 students; the fifth-grade classes will have no more than 28 students; and sixth- and seventh- grade classes will have no more than 23 students, she said.
“The short-term effect of these cutbacks will be dissension and low morale at all school sites,” Grijalva said.
The state’s “Class Size Reduction Incentive Program” recommends 20 students per class. With the cuts, the average class size in the district is being bumped up to 24 students. In the program, each district receives a per student amount of money for participation in the program which pays in part for the cost of keeping smaller class sizes. During the 1999-2000 school year, 92 percent of school districts in the state participated in the program which kept classes at 20 students or less, according to the California Department of Education Web site.
“An increase in class size is a giant step backward,” said one parent who requested anonymity. “Across the country, schools are adopting or are considering smaller class size for primary grade students, while Los Altos is choosing to forego state funding and increasing class size.”
A group of concerned parents strongly opposed to increased class size are scheduled to meet with Gratiot this week. A lot of residents move to Los Altos for its high quality of education and are willing to pay the higher cost of living in the area for the benefit, the parent said.
“We are disgusted that the schools of Los Altos cannot even meet the minimum class size guidelines as recommended by the state of California,” the parent said.
“None of us wants to increase class size at all, if we can help it,” said Gratiot. “I do think the proposed staffing plan will not diminish the quality of the education we offer to students.”
“We have been receiving grants for a couple of years now,” Grijalva said. “Next year, it looks like after all the dust has settled, the only long term affect will be fewer teachers and larger class sizes.”
Action will not be taken until the Board of Trustees adopts the budget in June.
