Fiscal Woes Make for Long Year at Calif. School.

Hundreds of cheerful Los Alamitos Elementary School pupils playing dodge ball and four-square on the school's vast playground on a recent day presented a sharp contrast with worries faced by their teachers and parents. Though their school is in one of the nation's richest areas, it has such a barebones budget that it can't afford such basic supplies as paper. Dozens of administrators, teachers, librarians, and clerical workers have been laid off, and the raises of those that remain aren't keeping up with the cost of living. As Los Alamitos Elementary ends the school year during what many say is the state's worst fiscal predicament ever, the impact is clear, the district's top business administrator says.