The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

CUSD board approves $71 million spending plan

Spending plan earmarks $4 million for reducing class sizes to 20 students

By Katherine Petersen

The Cupertino Union School District Board unanimously approved a final budget for the 1997-98 school year at its June 24 meeting.

The $71 million budget includes about $4 million for reducing class size to 20 or fewer students for a full day in first and second grades and for half the day in kindergarten and third grade. This leaves $1 million in unfunded program costs. The district has also set aside $1.5 million to purchase more classrooms, although this won't cover the full cost.

By fall 1998, the district plans to reduce class sizes for a full day in third grade. To do this it will need to create 70 classrooms at an estimated cost of $500,000, said Robyn Phillips, assistant superintendent of fiscal services.

The final budget also includes developing standards for student performance, a teacher work year that is two days longer for staff development, and funding to implement district technology plans and hire more secretaries.

The budget will be updated after the state budget is adopted, which Phillips anticipates will be sometime in July.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 2, 1997.
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