Budget cuts are to blame. Some parents and students will notice the effects of the proposed 2008-09 budget when school starts in September.

The later start of the school year from August to September, the elimination of busing for regular education students in elementary and middle schools, and bigger class sizes in some middle and high school classrooms are among the cost-savers the school board has approved.

The district's proposed $135.9 million budget would require using about $1 million from reserves to cover a projected shortfall. The board will vote on the budget at its meeting Monday at the district office, 255 Pico Ave. It's scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

The $1 million shortfall, calculated after the governor's revised budget in May, is better than what was previously anticipated. Under the revision, San Marcos Unified can expect to receive an additional $2.4 million.

But until the state budget is adopted, the numbers are only best guesses, said Gary Hamels, district assistant superintendent of business services.

“It's better than it was, but it's difficult to operate the district and just stay even with programs,” he said.

Hamels said the district also is grappling with an ongoing challenge: paying for required services but not receiving the full funding from the state and federal governments. The biggest program cost is special education, which receives about $10 million a year less than it should, he said.

To reduce costs, the board approved about $5.8 million of cuts and other cost-saving changes, including issuing pink slips to teachers, counselors and school bus drivers, a few months ago. Some slips have been rescinded.

The proposed budget now calls for bringing back part-time physical education teachers and physical education aides at elementary schools, Hamels said. It means classroom teachers would still have that time for planning.

Many people who received the potential layoff notices were able to fill other positions that opened from retirements or resignations, said Len Judd, assistant superintendent of human resources. As of this week, however, 28 people were still without jobs for the upcoming year.

The people affected are: one counselor; 22 bus drivers; one bus aide; one groundskeeper; one custodian; the district's manager of grants and communications; and the district's coordinator of risk management.

According to the district's Web site, San Marcos Unified will no longer offer home-to-school transportation for regular education students in September. The district stopped busing regular students in high school years ago but will continue to transport students with special needs.

Local districts are cautious about restoring positions even though the May revise projected more money, Hamels said, as the economic forecast for fiscal years 2009-10 and 2010-11 is gloomy.

The budget also includes hiring 12 teachers for student enrollment growth, increasing costs for health benefits ($1 million increase), and opening Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary School on Poinsettia Avenue for 715 students.

The district expects to gain 376 students, which will bring up enrollment to about 17,600 students.

Linda Lou: (760) 737-7574; linda.lou@uniontrib.com