Maya Kukes
CIVIC CENTER -- Another large crowd turned out for a meeting in which
the Burbank Unified School District school board voted Thursday to send
preliminary termination notices to one full-time middle school guidance
counselor and one school psychologist.
As a result of errors made by the district's previous fiscal
management team, along with state budget cuts and increased expenses, the
district announced last month it would have to reduce its expenditures
for the 2002-03 school year by $1.9 million.
Since the announcement, the district has had one public meeting to
discuss the proposed cuts and Thursday's regular board meeting was
dominated by discussion of the issue.
The guidance counselor and psychologist reductions will be spread over
a few employees, meaning the hours of several full-time people would be
reduced. School nursing positions were saved, but one assistant
elementary school principal position will be dropped to a teaching
position.
The board hopes to be able to repeal the actions if additional funding
is found.
The 12-member budget advisory committee will continue to deliberate
the proposed reductions, which include support staff jobs, and caps on
current positions.
The size of the budget committee will soon be nearly doubled by
increasing representation from the school board, parents and nonteaching
school workers.
"With the additional representation, brain power and problem-solving
abilities, I think we can do some remarkable things," Supt. David Aponik
said.
Nancy Pierce, the sole parent representative on the budget committee,
had mixed feelings about Thursday's meeting.
"Personally, I would have liked to have seen them take the bold stand
to not send the notices, to make the statement that they plan to find the
money. But they did deliberate. They did talk," Pierce said.
