School District Makes Budget Cuts

Budget cuts at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District began in earnest this week as the Board of Education Wednesday lopped $446,000 from the district’s 1990-91 spending plan.

School officials say the district may have to trim as much as $1.5 million to $2 million from the upcoming fiscal year’s budget because of declining enrollment and the possibility that the district’s share of state tax money will be smaller than anticipated.

In cutting $446,000 from the 1990-91 budget Wednesday, the school board decided, among other things, to lay off six employees ranging from a $75,000-a-year administrator to a $25,000-per-year custodian. The board also slashed $42,000 in library and textbook purchases.

The board called on high school principals to identify an additional $1 million in proposed cuts that it will consider in a meeting May 8, according to board spokeswoman Nancy Mahr.