MONTEBELLO : County Rejects School Budget Over Pay Cuts

County school officials have rejected the Montebello Unified School District’s budget, which included pay cuts for teachers and non-teaching employees, although negotiations are continuing with unions representing those employees.

County officials said the district could not include such pay cuts until it reaches contract agreements with its two employees unions. The district was ordered to come up with about $6.2 million in other cuts to balance the budget for the new school year.

The pay cuts were included in a $91.7-million spending plan that the school board approved and submitted to the county. The board voted to cut teachers’ pay by 5.3% and reduce salaries of non-teaching employees by 2%. Administrators have already accepted a 5.3% pay cut to help balance the budget.

School officials say salary cuts are the only way to reduce spending. The district has already trimmed spending in other areas, including custodial services, they said.

But the Montebello Teachers Assn., which represents about 1,300 teachers, has vowed to fight any salary cuts, union President Kathy Kohn said.

The district must submit a new budget to the county by Sept. 8, business manager Glenn J. Sheppard said. County education officials could send in a team of fiscal advisers to order cuts if the new spending plan is unacceptable.