LAUSD BUDGET CUTS TO GO DEEP FURLOUGHS, BIGGER CLASSES ENVISIONED.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Staff Writer

Los Angeles Unified schools face sharp cuts in spending on basic supplies, class sizes could grow and all employees could face holiday furloughs without pay next Christmas, officials said Tuesday.

With a looming $133 million budget shortfall this fiscal year, the district is considering slashing $44 million in school office supplies and cutting $15 million in campus discretionary funds.

And for the new fiscal year that begins July 1, proposed cuts include furloughing all employees for four days between Christmas and New Year's Day to save more than $50 million, increasing class sizes to save $35 million and reducing the inspector general's budget by more than half during fiscal year 2002-03.

Union leaders called the proposed cuts outrageous.

``The money they waste is just amazing,'' said Steve Weingarten, a spokesman for United Teachers Los Angeles. ``It's misplaced priorities and waste. We have to go out and raise money for the classrooms ... and then they have the nerve of saying we should put people on furlough.''

The school board and Superintendent Roy Romer will meet Thursday in a special session to discuss this fiscal year's $133 million shortfall. District budget officials took pains to point out that the proposed cuts for next fiscal year are ideas only and said they would protect core academic programs from reduction.

``Nothing in the proposals will affect the district's reading programs, math programs or secondary literacy plan,'' said Joseph Zeronian, the district's chief financial officer. ``Those are the three top priorities of the superintendent.''

Zeronian's plan calls for about $149 million in cuts to help the district close the fiscal books in the black.

Even though core academic programs are protected from budget cuts, schools still would be hit hardest. The $44 million in cuts for school supplies would be the largest reduction this fiscal year - a move that campus officials hardly relish.

``The schools will have to hitch up their belts this time,'' said Robert Kladifko, principal of Reseda High School. ``We're looking at supplies in the classrooms - paper, overhead projectors, white board pens. We'll have to make cuts.''

The total budget for school office supplies is $455 million. Schools have spent $170 million so far this year.

The district might also deduct $15 million in discretionary funds to 170 schools.

Board member Marlene Canter said she already has received a number of calls and letters from campuses where principals have deferred discretionary spending during recent years, hoping to save up for a larger project expenditure that now is threatened.

``We have to be careful not to punish a diligent principal who's been saving up for the last three years, for instance,'' said Canter, who has been surveying her local schools to gauge whether principals have been saving up money in carry-over accounts. ``We're talking about striking a balance between curbing excess spending'' and encouraging administrators to save up to meet needs at their schools.

Board President Caprice Young said the district faces tough times.

``Everybody's going to get hit,'' she said. ``It's really painful to cut funding halfway through the year.''

Zeronian said the board must make immediate reductions in the budget now or ``leave a near impossible budget cutting task for next year.'' And he said deficit spending could reduce the district's bond rating ``at a time when we intend to borrow significant amount of money for our building program'' to complete more than 80 new schools during the next five years.

But even if the board approves all of his suggested reductions, Zeronian said he anticipates that the district will have to reduce expenses by more than $130 million. To that end, he also prepared a list of proposed budget cuts totaling $800 million for the new fiscal year that starts July 1.

Under that plan, central and local administrative offices would reduce their budgets by 5 percent to 15 percent. Some programs, such as visual and performing arts, face reduction or elimination.

Another cost-cutting option would place all 76,000 employees on furlough for four days between Christmas and New Year's, which would save $49.5 million.

``Employees pay and work time will be reduced,'' Zeronian's budget report states. ``They may be able to file for unemployment insurance.''

One proposal calls for school administrators, in consultation with parents and staff, to make $66.8 million in reductions to services.

``Schools would be given a shopping list of possible reductions. Reductions in certain areas such as coaching (in reading) would not be permitted,'' the document said.

Another proposal would save $21.8 million by increasing class sizes to a ratio of 22 pupils per teacher in kindergarten through grade 3. Currently, class size is limited to 20 students per teacher in those grades.

Such a plan would require legislation or a state waiver to bypass class size reduction laws. Another option would increase class sizes in all classes by one student to save $13.2 million.

One controversial proposal would reduce Inspector General Don Mullinax's budget by $4.4 million - a 60 percent cut that would leave the office with only $2.5 million.

Young said she doesn't see that reduction as a feasible option.

``It's not something I support,'' Young said. ``I don't think his budget should be increased, but I don't see a need to reduce it.''

Zeronian said the proposed cuts for next year are conceptual in nature only and might not be approved by the school board.

``We're taking a look at everything. Some of the ideas (for cuts next year) are good ideas. A lot of them are considered lousy ideas,'' Zeronian said. ``'But if it's all out there, and people are talking about it, hopefully we can get the best decision out of that.''