VENTURA : School District Plans Cutbacks

Faced with a potential $1.2-million budget shortfall, Ventura Unified School District administrators announced proposed cutbacks Tuesday for the 25-school district, including layoffs, a hiring freeze and reductions in district programs.

Unveiled at Tuesday night’s school board meeting, the proposed layoffs would affect 15 district employees, including five administrators and two assistant principals at the district’s two high schools. The proposed cutbacks, which also include trimming such programs as the visual program, would pare the entire $1.2-million shortfall from the district budget.

The district is facing the potential deficit because of a proposal by Gov. George Deukmejian to trim the state budget allocation for education. Deukmejian has proposed cutting the annual 4.95% cost-of-living increase for California’s elementary and secondary schools to 3%.

The district’s estimated $1.2-million deficit is based on a 4.2% cost-of-living increase, a figure educators hope will be the compromise reached when the state budget is finalized. If the 3% increase should be instituted, district officials estimate, an additional $500,000 in cuts will be necessary.

Richard Averett, an assistant superintendent, said the proposed cutbacks, while harsh, are not unusual. School districts statewide are scrambling to bring their budgets in line with decreased revenues, Averett said.

The Ventura Unified Board of Education will decide whether to implement the cutbacks at its May 8 meeting.