Mt. Diablo school board slashes more than $12 million from three-

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 17, 2009 | by Theresa Harrington

CONCORD -- Summer school for students falling behind likely is the next budget-cut victim in the Mt. Diablo school district.

The school board this week approved more than $12 million in cuts through 2012, including $6.9 million from previously protected programs such as summer school, adult education, instructional materials and grants for libraries, art, music and physical education.

Trustees delayed voting on specific program cuts until June 30 because they did not receive the list of recommendations until just before their meeting and the public had not seen it. It includes more than $2.7 million in cuts for spring and summer intervention programs that assist lagging students, nearly $1.2 million from adult education, $1.5 million from instructional materials and almost $1.5 million earmarked for specific curriculum areas.

"We're actually now going into really affecting students' learning," trustee Sherry Whitmarsh said Wednesday, "because of how deep the state is making us cut."

The state has given school districts permission to raid money set aside to preserve a number of programs.

"It's kind of asking the district to cannibalize itself," said Mike Noce, president of the teachers union.

Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, said Wednesday that many districts are cutting summer school.

"The elimination of summer school courses threatens to significantly affect students already behind in their schoolwork," he said, "because they will miss out on the chance to catch up to their peers over the summer break."

Mt. Diablo trustees also agreed Tuesday to raise busing fees from $320 a year to $450 annually for the first student, with discounted rates for additional students. Busing may be reduced in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years, if the district determines families are not willing to pay higher costs.

The school board unanimously approved replacing more than $721,000 eliminated from the district's budget for after-school sports with about $600,000 in athlete donations and $200,000 raised by the recently formed United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation.

Theresa Harrington covers the Mt. Diablo school district. Reach her at 925-945-4764 or tharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com.Details

Information about budget cuts and the funding plan for high school athletics is at 925-682-8000, ext. 4000, or www.mdusd.org. Click on Board of Education and select items 9.4 and 9.8 on the June 16 agenda.