MOORPARK : School Board OKs $21.6-Million Budget

The Moorpark school board approved a 1991-92 budget Tuesday night that cut no student programs.

The unified school district budget included cuts of about $700,000, leaving a total of $21.6 million. However, to minimize cuts this year, the board used its entire surplus of more than $1 million.

Almost all of the reductions this year will come from hiring fewer teachers and staff, despite the growing student population, Assistant Supt. Charles Smith said.

The district has eliminated the part-time assistant principal position at its five elementary schools. The eight-school district will also have 11 fewer custodians and maintenance workers, the budget shows.

The cost-saving measure that will affect students the most is the bus transportation fee for extracurricular activities, Smith said. Students will have to pay $50 for any extracurricular activity, such as band or football, that requires bus transportation.

Moorpark teachers will have slightly larger classes this year. Although enrollment has increased by about 278 students to a total of 5,553, the district has hired only three new teachers so far, Smith said. As a result, about 20 classes will have more than 30 students. In the past, the district kept classes at 30 students or less, he said.

Funds for travel and in-house training of teachers and staff were cut by half. In addition, the board imposed 10% cuts in the amount that teachers and staff can spend on supplies and instructional materials.