VENTURA : School District to Add Administrator

The Ventura Unified School District board of trustees has agreed to add an administrative position, even though it recently approved $2.3 million in budget cuts that included the elimination of 23 teaching positions.

The board voted 4 to 1 this week to establish a new risk management position. Board member Dianne Harriman cast the dissenting vote.

Harriman said she felt it was not appropriate for the district to create an administrative position after it recently was forced to eliminate the teaching jobs because of a budget shortfall.

But board member John Walker said the new position will pay for itself in the long run. He said the risk manager will be charged with creating safety programs that will reduce hazards in the workplace and minimize the potential for lawsuits and workers’ compensation claims. This, in turn, will reduce the district’s insurance premiums, he said.

Assistant Supt. Joseph Richards Jr. also defended the new position, saying no other administrator had the time or the training to take on such a task.

The new position would pay between $44,000 and $55,000 a year plus benefits, said Steve Bailey, director of personnel.

Bailey said 10% of the funding would come from the district’s general fund, with the remaining 90% coming from a special joint powers authority made up of several school districts in the county. The self-funded authority provides money to implement safety programs.

Bailey said the new position will probably be filled in September or October.