Simi Valley Schools Prepare to Cut Staff

The Simi Valley Unified School District, claiming that it faces an $8-million budget deficit next year, has taken steps to cut labor costs by reducing the number of assistant principals and school psychologists, among other administrators.

The Board of Education voted late Tuesday to notify 34 administrators that they may be reassigned next year and 32 temporary teachers that they may not be rehired if the administrators fill their posts, Supt. John Duncan said Wednesday.

Although staff reductions ultimately may not be necessary, the board acted because state law requires that most administrators be told of possible reassignments and salary reductions by March 15.

The board is scheduled to meet again March 6 and will be asked to consider additional budget cuts, most probably in the area of clerical and maintenance employees and in some educational programs, Duncan said.

Duncan and board President Helen Beebe said the rest of the district’s approximately 800 teachers are not expected to receive layoff notices.

“We’ve done what we had to to keep things as far away from the kids as possible,” Beebe said.

Under the plan discussed in closed session Tuesday night, an assistant principal’s job would be eliminated in each of the district’s two high schools and four junior high schools. High schools would be staffed with two assistant principals instead of three and junior highs with one assistant principal instead of two, Duncan said.

Two elementary schools each currently staffed with a principal and an assistant principal would lose the assistant principal position, he said.

The number of guidance counselors and psychologists would also be reduced, although the exact number was not available Wednesday.

Also subject to elimination would be special-programs coordinators and student-activities directors, Duncan said.

Under the plan, affected administrators would be reassigned to lower-level positions with reduced salaries, ultimately replacing temporary teachers. If implemented, it could save the district an estimated $1.5 million, Duncan said.

The board also acted Tuesday to freeze hiring, purchases and travel expenses in the current fiscal year, and to reduce substitute teaching costs by 75% and instructional-material costs by 10% next year.

Declining student enrollment and limited state funding combined with increased labor costs--especially for medical insurance--are largely to blame for the anticipated deficit, Duncan and his staff told the board. The projected $8-million shortfall is about 10.5% of the district’s proposed $76-million spending plan for 1990-91. Labor costs make up 85% of the budget, Duncan said.

In another attempt to cut costs, the district has asked the teachers union to sacrifice more than half of a salary increase due next year under the terms of a three-year-old contract.