The pro-government spending forces will rarely admit when they have spent too much.  Such is the case with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. This line is classic from Superintendent Stan Schee: 

..."While it's connected to balancing the budget, it's not connected to budget cuts," Scheer said....

...The $10.5 million is an early estimate, which may change in coming months. Cutting $10.5 million is equivalent to laying off 140-170 teachers or 150-200 classified employees, said Stacy Coleman, assistant superintendent of business services...

My vote is to cut the 150-200 classified employees.  Their are so many wasted administrative positions in our education system.  The administrators should be working for our teachers and offering them assistance on a silver platter.  Instead, they suck up nearly half the education budget with few tangible results to show for it. 

More often than not, they push some politically correct program that isn't vital to any subject and leave it up to individual teachers to decide what to cut and what to teach.  Of course, the first solution MVUSD can think of is "raising the fees that the district charges..."

Murrieta Valley Unified School District considers preliminary suggestions on how to close $10.5 budget shortfall
10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 24, 2008

By CLAUDIA BUSTAMANTE
The Press-Enterprise

MURRIETA - Transportation cuts and fee increases were among ideas discussed Thursday by Murrieta school officials seeking to eliminate an estimated $10.5 million budget shortfall next year.

No specific cuts were made but Murrieta Valley Unified School District staff identified a few areas that could be trimmed when the board starts making decisions. Among the areas considered were transportation within the special education department, especially the cost of busing students to other districts for programs.

Also mentioned were raising the fees that the district charges for outside use of its facilities, and refinancing the district headquarters on McAlby Court.

The $10.5 million is an early estimate, which may change in coming months. Cutting $10.5 million is equivalent to laying off 140-170 teachers or 150-200 classified employees, said Stacy Coleman, assistant superintendent of business services.

"It's impossible to even consider those," he said. "But it's important to put in perspective of what's required to close that gap."

Superintendent Stan Scheer said another aspect the district has to consider is declining enrollment. District officials estimate the student population to drop by about 230 students next school year, which means fewer teachers and administrators will be needed.

"While it's connected to balancing the budget, it's not connected to budget cuts," Scheer said.

More employees must be notified by March 15 whether they will return the following school year. It's unclear how many people would be laid off because the district also will be offering early retirement incentives to teachers. However, district officials will not know until March who, if anyone, will retire.

The board will meet again Feb. 7 to discuss detailed cuts, including dollar amounts.

Trustee Margi Wray said that even though the board decides what to cut, opinions from the community are encouraged.

"We need people to say, 'This is doable. We can survive this, but we can't survive (that),' " she said.

Reach Claudia Bustamante at 951-375-3740 or cbustamante@PE.com