Financial aid up at Southern California private schools
By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/KPCC
The fiscal problems of public schools have gotten plenty of air time, but private K-12 schools in Southern California have also had to trim their budgets. The prolonged economic downturn has many private school staffs wondering how long they can hold on. This was a tough school year for public and private schools. Maintenance, clerical and support staffs at private schools have diminished, said Jim McManus, head of the 200-member California Association of Independent Schools. "About two years ago when the economy was cratering, every school in the association looked very hard and in new ways at their budgets and trimmed whatever they felt were non-essential expenses," he said. (more...)