CAMARILLO : School District Cuts Music, Bus Service

The Pleasant Valley school board has agreed to eliminate the district’s instrumental music training and cut bus service for special programs.

In a meeting Thursday, the board made a preliminary decision to end the district’s only instrumental music program to save $59,000 next year. They also voted to do away with bus service for 41 afternoon kindergarten students and for some reading students at Santa Rosa School. Those cuts and reducing hours and overtime for bus drivers will save an additional $91,951.

The cuts are among proposed spending reductions of $1.8 million for next year. School board member Jan McDonald said parents, teachers and staff on the district’s budget committee had the same goal--to keep the cuts as far from the classroom as possible.

A public hearing on the cuts will be held at the board meeting June 6.

In addition to cutting the budget, the school district also is trying to raise $75 million with a bond issue being put before Camarillo voters June 4.

Assistant Supt. Howard Hamilton, who helped organize a phone bank and mailing effort for the bond issue, said the funds are critical to building new schools to house a rapidly rising enrollment.

He said the effort to pass the measure is an uphill battle because Californians have voted down about 60% of the bond issues proposed during the last five years.