Staffers of Torrance Unified School District have submitted to trustees their recommended cuts for the 2008-2009 year, some $9 million in reductions aimed at plugging the anticipated enormous hole to be torn by way of a proposed state budget that would slash California's public-education funding by some $5 billion.
A few highlights:
*The proposal includes laying off 70 full-time teachers, 11 custodians and 3 classified-staff supervisors, plus cutting back to half-time 8 middle-school assistant principals.
*It recommends reducing campus security, by nine hours at each of the district's four high schools, as well as eliminating entirely the P.E. Incentive Program and an intervention effort known as the School Safety Violence Program.
*It would reduce school-site services in the areas of English language learners, student retention and school and library improvement, among others. Further, it would reduce programs such as CAHSEE instruction, supplemental school counseling, peer assistance and review and Gifted and Talented Education.
*The proposal includes cuts to special education that include implementing a 4-day week for the district's "LAUNCH" program, as well as laying off 3 full-time speech pathologists, 3 full-time teachers and 3.5 full-time paraeducators the the elementary/middle school learning center and 5.5 full-time high-school special ed teachers.
For the entire exhaustive list of proposed cuts and what each would save the district, click here, then select "2008-2009 Committee Reductions Report."
Oh, and watch this weekend's Daily Breeze for a story detailing what all our local districts, Torrance included, are facing as a result of the Governor's proposed budget that people are saying will absolutely brutalize public districts statewide.
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