BOARD DELAYS REMAINING BUDGET CUTS.

Byline: Jennifer Radcliffe Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Unified School District board failed on Tuesday to make all the cuts necessary to balance the 2004-05 budget, putting off the remaining $17 million in proposed cost savings to next month.

Superintendent Roy Romer had a total of $23 million of cuts on the table, including reductions to human resources, the police department, the ethics office and health and human services.

The board approved just $6 million of the cuts. It needs to eliminate a deficit that stood at a half-billion dollars when officials began the cost cutting earlier this year.

Superintendent Roy Romer was frustrated by the lack of action.

``I'd like to have you vote them up or down,'' he told the board.

Board members said they would try to make the final cuts by May 11. They're motivated by a recent letter from the County Office of Education which gives the LAUSD a June 1 deadline for showing how it plans to make ends meet in the upcoming years. If the district fails to convince the county that it is financially stable, the district could lower the LAUSD's financial rating, which could lead to a higher interest rate on the district's bonds or even possibly sanctions.

But the trustees were unable Tuesday to decide whether to give a $10 million savings from inflation estimates on health care costs back to the district's general fund or to the health benefits budget, which would appease the union.

``It's a tough decision and I'd like to take a few more weeks to think it through,'' board member Julie Korenstein said.

Jennifer Radcliffe, [phone]

jennifer.radcliffe(at)dailynews.com