ANTELOPE VALLEY : School Year Off to a Mixed Start

The new school year in the troubled Antelope Valley Union High School District is off to a mixed start--administrators report crowded classrooms and supply shortages because of the district’s financial problems, but say that student morale is generally good.

A teacher’s union official told the school board Wednesday night that typical classes have 40 to 50 students, and that campuses are short of basics such as textbooks and copier paper.

District officials expressed concern, but said they lack the money to remedy those problems.

After mismanagement and other mistakes led to a huge budget shortfall last spring, district officials had to slash spending by more than $12 million, releasing about 100 employees, cutting supply and busing spending, and not hiring teachers to accommodate the district’s growing enrollment.