TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Bakersfield City School District trustees spoke at length about achievement, assemblies and retirement ceremonies marking the end of the school year at Tuesday's board meeting.

Superintendent Michael D. Lingo had less to say about an impending $30 million budget cut -- up $13 million since February -- the district could face in the 2009-10 school year.

What's next: School districts must file 2009-10 budgets by July 1; the state legislature will finalize a budget that includes education cuts sometime in the next two months; districts will then have 45 days to revise their budgets.

With the current fiscal crisis, school districts can announce emergency layoffs with as little as 72 hours' notice -- a far cry from the normal March 15 layoff notice deadline that gives teachers months of warning.

"We're crossing our fingers we don't have any certificated layoffs," said Bakersfield Elementary Teachers Association President Brad Barnes.

"Since last Tuesday it may get tougher," said board member Rick Van Horne, alluding to the failed May 19 propositions that would have funded schools.

"But we're from Bakersfield, we're tough, and we'll get through it," Van Horne said.

Parents and teachers from the Casa Loma Elementary school site council presented a slideshow detailing overcrowding issues that have built since 2004.

They say 14 classrooms added to the school site over the past five years have crowded out student playground areas, and point to a parking lot project adjacent to the district office as proof the issue isn't getting enough attention from the district administration.

"I don't think they are very concerned about our issues," said Ken Williams, whose four children attend Casa Loma.

Lingo offered specific answers for each of the group's questions, and noted plans to spend $1 million this summer to add air-conditioning units and fire alarms to the school.

The addition of two or possibly three new schools being planned would adjust school boundaries across the district, Lingo said.

But Casa Loma special education teacher Michael Cunningham said the point-by-point rebuttal didn't answer the group's main concern: 28 percent growth to more than 800 students.

"The number one thing they could do is put a cap on us," Cunningham said.

Casa Loma performs at a high academic level when compared to similar schools around the state, according to its academic performance index scores.