SCHOOL DISTRICT MUST CUT BUDGET SULPHUR SPRINGS REVIEWS EXPENSES.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - Confronted with budget uncertainties and slow growth, the Sulphur Springs School District is looking to cut up to $2 million in operating expenses in the coming school year to weather California's fiscal crisis. At a budget presentation Wednesday that drew more than 100 parents and staffers to Sulphur Springs Community School, Superintendent Robert Nolet said further reductions are needed to counter millions in projected state cuts and deferrals for the 2003-04 school year.

``The best course of action is to build our end balance so we can protect our program base as much as possible,'' Nolet said.

To reduce an estimated $34.6 billion state deficit, legislators have already withheld about $1.2 million in annual payments until next year. The district has saved roughly that amount by freezing hiring and spending.

But Sulphur Springs could face more losses under Gov. Gray Davis' proposed budget for 2003-04, including an additional 3.66 percent deferral in per-student funding for another year - further cutting into the district's $24 million annual allocation generated by roughly 5,500 students.

The plan also suggests a 1.28 percent reduction across all categorical programs, such as special-education courses and tutors.

``I've been doing this for 21 years,'' Nolet said ``Frankly, none of the (past state fiscal crises) compares to the issues we have been facing right now.''

Compounding the budget woes was an enrollment drop last year. The district lost 60 pupils - about $272,000 in funding - with fewer school-age children moving into the area.

``The east side of the Santa Clarita Valley is producing less students than the west side,'' Nolet said. ``That made up for a large part of the student loss. About 75 percent of residents in the Sulphur Springs School District attendance area don't have children in school.''

The district is expecting some $700,000 relief from a projected growth, 160 students, over the coming year, along with revenues from its theater center and other sources.

But as the fiscal crisis continues, the district must consider reductions ranging from field trips and library materials to music teachers and classified personnel, Nolet said.

``If we have to cut, we will try to stay as far away from the classrooms as possible,'' he said.

Cheryl Ojena, a math instructional aide at Pinetree Community School, is concerned about the effects on student learning.

``I fully expect to be laid off,'' said Ojena, who has worked at the district for about two years. ``I'm not happy about losing my job, but it's the kids that I'm worried about. They're not going to get the extra help they need.''

Nolet said the district is preparing a measured fiscal response to ensure a balanced budget without overreacting in a way that could ``decimate'' programs.

But he warned that officials are working partly blind, given the state Legislature's tendency to debate public school budgets until well past the legal summer deadline.