School board to examine budget cuts

By Neil Nisperos

Staff Writer

CHINO - Chino Valley Unified Boardmembers are expected to discuss Tuesday night at 5 p.m., the elimination of 11 grant-funded intervention counselors, as well as moving to the general fund over $1 million in visual and performing arts grant money -- only two of several potentially contentious issues that have concerned the community.

Budget recommendations now at issue include having to provide transportation funding for band and cheer students; sweeping a $1.2 million grant for visual and performing arts into the general fund; and sweeping a $1.8 million grant, normally reserved to fund 11 high school intervention counselors who help at-risk students graduate, into the general fund.

"There could be unintended consequences with cutting this," said Boardmember Michael Calta regarding the counselors, "but at the same time, we're choosing between a lot of bad choices."

Another notable and controversial recommendation involves an increase to the average class size teacher to student ratio for K-3 classes by five more students -- from 25 to 1 to 30 to 1.

The board is expected to cut about $33 million from its budget later this month in order to submit a balanced budget to the County.

Bob Wagner is a big supporter of the visual and performing arts as president of the Ayala High School Band Booster organization. He says the arts grant money the board will consider moving to the general fund, could be used to help bring in more students to district music programs.

"What it does is one of the biggest areas that we can use the money for is instruments or repairing of instruments," he said. "When you have more district instruments for students to use, then you can get more students involved."

He also said the money helps mix the repertoire up.

"Right now we have to pay for music (royalties)," Wagner said. "If you don't have a budget for music, you're using recycled music over and over again."

Ayala High School band director Mark Stone hopes the district can provide transportation funding for his program, which was discontinued four years ago, he said.

"I think we're all in a tight situation with public education ... but we would like to see our funding reestablished," he said.

The school district recently approved funding for athletics transportation and band and cheer supporters have called for equity in funding transportation for their students as well.

"We're in the same situation with athletics," Stone said. "We have students who have to be transported in the safest manner and right now the students are funding it themselves."

The Board is expected to meet tonight at 5 p.m. at district headquarters, 5130 Riverside Drive, and again at 5 p.m. on Oct. 8, at the district office, to review budget cut recommendations, before their Oct. 15 meeting where they are expected to approve a budget.

If it doesn't approve a balanced budget by the Oct. 15 deadline, the district's credit rating would suffer, and the County might impose a financial advisor to determine district fiscal policy.

neil.nisperos@inlandnewspapers.com

(909) 483-9356