ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
COSTA MESA – Newport-Mesa Unified plans to spend $8.9 million to maintain certain programs next school year due to state funding cuts for school districts with higher property tax revenue.
As a “basic aid” school district, Newport-Mesa doesn’t receive state funding because its property tax revenue from high-priced housing exceeds the total general purpose funding that the state would have provided. Basic aid school districts account for about 100, or 10 percent, of school districts in California.
The state formerly provided basic aid districts with some categorical funding for special programs, but that funding has dried up in recent years, leaving some districts to pick up the tab if they wish to keep programs.
On Tuesday, the Board of Education approved a plan to allocate more than $8.9 million of its $230 million general fund to maintain certain categorical programs next school year. The programs include adult education, school safety and violence, instructional materials, deferred maintenance, professional development, regional occupation centers, advanced placement and others.
Deputy Superintendent Paul Reed said the district has lost more than $53 million in state funding for special programs in the past five years, forcing Newport-Mesa to maintain programs it sees as a priority, such as elementary school physical education.
In some cases, the district spends more money on programs than the typical state funding. For example, the district plans to allocate $1.7 million in professional development to prepare teachers for the new common core educational standards – the projected state funding for professional development is $834,546.
“We’re spending much more than the state would otherwise provide for professional development because we want to be well-prepared for common core,” he said.
– Kelly Puente
