MUROC DISTRICT CUTS CUSTODIAL POST, TECH BUDGET FACE AX.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer

NORTH EDWARDS -- Muroc Joint Unified School District officials will eliminate one custodian position and cut the technology budget by about one-third to help deal with a deficit.

Muroc has had budget deficits for the past five years, and without any cuts, the district would have to move $750,000 from a reserve fund to balance next year's budget.

``We've had deficit spending for the last few years, which means we are having to dip into district savings to balance the budget,'' Superintendent Mike Summerbell said.

The district also is piloting a new lunch program at two schools that offers more a la carte selections and sandwiches to help cut costs.

Trustees also had discussed charging students for bus transportation but want more information before making a decision.

Charging fees for playing sports was another option but the board dropped consideration of that for now because such a move would only generate about $6,000, Summerbell said.

Muroc traditionally sets aside $100,000 for upgrading and maintenance of technology equipment but will reduce it to $70,000 next year.

``Because we continue to receive pretty good donations in that area, we reduced that by $30,000,'' Summerbell said.

The district will save about $65,000 by cutting the custodial position.

The district has been experiencing a drop in enrollment so fewer classrooms are being used, Summerbell said.

The pilot lunch program is being tested at Branch Elementary School and Boron Junior Senior High School. If implemented districtwide, the district potentially could save $65,000 a year.

``We are doing a pilot program to see if organizing food service operations differently would work,'' Summerbell said. ``We are testing that theory now, and also seeing what the reception is by students at the schools.''

The district moved $486,000 from the reserve fund to balance this year's $21 million operating budget.

Moving the $750,000 out of the fund to balance next year's budget will drop the fund to $1.2 million, Summerbell said.

In the past couple of years, the district has lost about 250 students whose active-duty parents live on base as Edwards Air Force Base's military work force decreased.

The base has privatized operations leading to more jobs being held by civilians, and military housing on base has been reduced.

District officials are forecasting a drop in annual federal impact aid from $4.8 million to $4 million because there are fewer students whose parents are military personnel.

The purpose of the impact aid is to provide a source of revenue because the 301,000-acre base and its residents are exempt from local taxes, district officials said.

Muroc has had budget deficits for the past five years, a not-uncommon fiscal condition because 522 districts, more than half of the districts in the state, are deficit spending, Summerbell said.

Muroc has 2,300 students at seven school sites.

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com

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