Conejo Golf Programs Survive Budget Ax

The Conejo Valley Unified School District board of trustees Thursday night cleared the road for the continuation of the golf programs at three high schools. But in the process, it outlined for elimination the jobs of the football and basketball coaches at Westlake High.

The school board, in a meeting at Westlake High, eliminated 22 teaching positions. Included among the 22 teachers are Westlake football Coach Jim Benkert and basketball Coach Gary Grayson.

There might be a ray of hope for the coaches, however. The board indicated that positions of the teachers affected by the layoffs will be individually evaluated over the next week to 10 days, meaning the personnel cutbacks are not yet final.

Benkert, 33, who led the Warriors to an 8-3-1 record last fall in his second season as coach, said last month that he probably would not remain at Westlake as a walk-on.

As expected, the school board granted Westlake, Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park highs the authorization to field golf teams if the schools can generate the funding.

Golf was one of five sports scheduled to be eliminated at each of the three schools as a budget-balancing measure, but golf was the lone sport played at the varsity level that had been earmarked for the ax.

Yet public feedback prompted the continuation of the sport--with several provisions.

The schools must first generate $2,727 to cover the golf coach’s stipend, fees for substitute teachers and school clerical costs.

The superintendent’s office also stated as a condition of continuation that schools must ensure that golf coaches and players miss less school, which likely will result in shorter, if not fewer matches.

Westlake, which has won two Southern Section golf titles in the past five years, won the Southern Section Northern regional team tournament Monday and is again among the favorites to win a Section team title.

Four programs were eliminated at each of the three schools as coaching positions for the frosh-soph boys’ soccer team, freshman boys’ basketball, freshman girls’ basketball and freshman girls’ volleyball were cut.

Staff writer Stephanie Stassel contributed to this story.