The Amador County Unified School District meeting was buzzing with action Dec. 16 as board positions were shifted and new tolerance programs and budget woes were discussed.

The meeting began with a few chair switches as President Mary Walser stepped down from her position, and the board elected Board Clerk Karl Knobelauch as the new president for the upcoming year.

By law, the board must host an annual reorganizational meeting where new officers are elected, according to ACUSD Superintendent Dick Glock.

"I served three years," said Walser, who had served as president since December 2006. With Knobelauch in his new chair as president, trustee Janelle Redkey was elected by the board as the new clerk.

"He's been a leader in the community," Walser said of Knobelauch. "He'll do a terrific job (as president)." Walser mentioned that while she won't be president anymore, she does looks forward to another year on the board - and has hopes of coming out of the current budget crisis "in good shape."

"Mr. Knobelauch is very involved and quite knowledgeable of school district responsibilities, policies, procedures and practices," Glock added.

The vibe of the meeting switched quickly as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti proposed new social programs to promote tolerance and diversity in ACUSD schools - in addition to re-implementing successful programs from the past.

Chapin-Pinotti told the board and attendees about her involvement with the regional office of the Anti-Defamation League to provide a training program titled "Making Diversity Count/A World of Difference" on tolerance, anti-bias and diversity, to ACUSD staff.

"I personally have a certificate of completion from this program. It is wonderful," she said. Chapin-Pinotti mentioned that she is also in contact with the Museum of Tolerance on programs for staff and students. She is looking for monetary means to take a group of students and staff to Los Angeles to see the museum in the future.

The meeting concluded with talks of the district's budget. The board reported that the revenue-limit cost-of-living adjustment for the 2009-10 school year is 4.25 percent, with a 17.97-percent deficit. Class sizes for kindergarten through third-grade classes for 2009-10 will be 22 students to one teacher, and will be increased to 25 students to one teacher in 2010-11.

As part of the state of California's budget revisions from Aug. 17 for the 2009-2010 school-year, reductions were made in the Home to School Transportation budget by 20 percent. The reduction amounted to $302,853 and included dropping an employee's full-time working status to part-time to save costs.

Layoffs are also in sight for ACUSD, as the district proposes the reduction of certificated staff members - some full-time, some part-time - to the equivalent of approximately $1.2 million. In administrative staff positions, the district proposes layoffs of about one-and-a-half full-time and part-time positions, reducing expenses by approximately $150,000.

"The outlook is bleak," Glock said.