CALABASAS : Schools Consider More Budget Cuts

An award-winning science program, remedial classes and library time could fall victim to the budget ax as the Las Virgenes Unified School District prepares to face a fourth straight year of cuts, a district official said this week.

The 10,200-student district, which prides itself on innovative programs and the test scores of its students, will also become more crowded as administrators deal with an anticipated budget deficit of up to $700,000 next year, Assistant Supt. Donald Zimring said.

The Calabasas-based district, with a spending plan of about $40 million last year, has already slashed administrative costs, custodial services and some classes to make the most of its shrinking state funds, he said.

This year, school board members are considering boosting the number of students in some core classes to nearly 40, eliminating a nationally acclaimed science lab program and thinning the ranks of the library staff, which has one librarian per high school.

Although the district will surely survive this year’s budget, some of the measures under consideration could cut deeper than they are supposed to, Zimring said.

“Some positions you need because they help you save money,” he said. “You may cut one position, but end up paying twice as much for Xerox paper because no one is shopping around for the best price anymore.”

The board is scheduled to approve next year’s budget in June after a series of public hearings and open meetings.