BUDGET CALLS FOR GUSD TO CUT 20 JOBS.

Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer

GLENDALE -- The Glendale Unified School District's declining enrollment will force it to eliminate 20 teacher positions under a $260 million budget presented to the school board Tuesday.

Ballooning costs for utilities and employee health care are forcing the district to cut back in other ways as well. But on the upside, the district will receive more money from the state than it got for the current fiscal year.

``I just think that in next year's budget there's a lot more sunshine than there is rain,'' said Stephen Hodgson, chief business and financial officer. ``The rain on our parade, unfortunately, is our declining enrollment.''

The 20 teacher positions out of its pool of about 1,300 would be eliminated by simply not hiring to replace teachers who quit or retire, instead of through layoffs. Some temporary teachers -- those hired on a year-to-year basis -- could be let go, Hodgson said.

The GUSD, with a total enrollment of about 28,000 students, lost 800 this year and expects to lose at least 500 next year, mostly because of increasing housing costs.

That means less money for the schools, since the state will pay the district $5,510 per pupil per year beginning next school year.

To fight declining enrollment, officials want to make it easier for students from outside district boundaries to attend Glendale schools.

And they have an eye on a host of condo projects planned for downtown, hoping that could mean more students, despite city officials' assessment that the luxury condos would be bought by empty nesters or young professionals.

``Back in the '40s or before, when they laid out the city, they didn't anticipate any kids living in apartments at all,'' school board member Pam Ellis said. ``And we found in the '70s and '80s kids lived in apartments. ... So will kids live in high-rises? They say they won't -- I mean they're million-dollar condos -- but they do in New York.''

The district's general fund budget, the part of the budget the school board has the most control over, is about $205 million for fiscal year 2006-07. The total budget, including items like construction costs and cafeteria food, is about $260 million.

Despite the declining enrollment, the state is increasing the GUSD's general fund budget by about $7 million from the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. But the district still needs to cut back because costs are increasing more than revenue.

District officials will continue working on methods to save on utility bills, and they could eliminate four custodial positions.

Even as enrollment is declining, school board member Greg Krikorian has a long-term goal of seeing class sizes reduced from the current average of 32 students to about 28 -- even though that would cost millions of dollars.

``Not only it would help the kids,'' Krikorian said, ``it would help the teachers.''

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

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