Interim Chino Valley superintendent announces proposed cuts

By Neil Nisperos

Staff Writer

CHINO -- Kindergarten through third-grade teachers would have to deal with even larger class sizes if a new budget recommendation is implemented.

Interim Superintendent Wayne Joseph on Wednesday proposed about $26 million in spending cuts to the Chino Valley Unified school board.

Joseph's suggestions are part of about

$33 million in cuts the board must make to have a balanced budget in the next three years.

The recommendations also included increasing K-3 class sizes from a ratio of 25 students per teacher to 30. The board already this year increased K-3 class-size ratios from 20-to-1 to 25-to-1.

District parents and teachers said they fear increased class sizes impact the quality of education, because students would receive less one-on-one time with teachers, and educators may have difficulties handling a crowded classroom.

"The children I know for sure will not get the educations their peers before them have gotten," said Laurie Paz, a parent at Country Springs Elementary School in Chino Hills.

"The education my children have received at 20-to-1 far surpasses 25-to-1, so I can't even imagine 30-to-1."

Karyl Sherman, a parent at Country Springs Elementary, said she was skeptical of the monetary savings that would come from increasing the teacher to student ratio.

"Maybe you would be saving some dollars now but, later on, it will cost more in remediations," Sherman said.

The increased class sizes would eliminate about 54 teaching positions, although they would come from attrition rather than layoffs, Joseph said.

The school board still has to make about $7 million in cuts, which must be negotiated with the district's teachers, classified employees and administration unions.

Board member Michael Calta said he was concerned about the need to find more non-negotiable spending cuts if the unions do not agree to district spending reductions.

"It's in (the unions') ballpark. They hold the cards in that case, so it's up to their own willingness," Calta said.

If the unions do not come to an agreement with the district, the school board will have to cut $6.8 million more, he said.

"That $6.8 million is really going to get down to the nitty-gritty and really going to impact children in a negative way," Calta said.

The board must pass a balanced budget by Oct. 15 and submit it by November to the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.

Bargaining might not be complete by the Oct. 15 deadline, said Justine Cunningham, president of the Associated Chino Teachers union.

"I don't know if that's feasible, but the district and I are in contact to set up bargaining dates," Cunningham said.