5 top issues you'll face in O.C. education in 2010

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"From budget cuts to lawsuits and political unrest, 2010 is likely to be a challenging year for Orange County schools.

At the top of every educator's mind – and many parents' minds – is how painful budget cutting in Sacramento will affect local classrooms."

Orange County schools lost about $300 million in state funding for the current school year, and about $200 million the year prior, forcing officials to slash hundreds of jobs and pare student programs and services, from counseling and libraries to art, music and sports.

Some are predicting the coming year will be even worse.

Adding to local schools' financial burdens are a series of national education reforms being pushed by President Obama, including a plan to tie teacher evaluations to their students' performance.

California is racing to implement those reforms right now and get as many school districts as possible on board.

"Our (school district) superintendents are just overwhelmed at this point in time," Orange County schools Superintendent Bill Habermehl said. "They've got so much on their plate. Next year is going to be really tough financially for them. Even though (Obama's reform agenda) could be a positive thing for them, one more thing is just going to be too much for some of them."