Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Nixon Observance May Cost School District

The national day of mourning declared by President Clinton in honor of Richard Nixon may turn out to be a costly gesture for the Antelope Valley Union High School District, which is recovering from a $14-million deficit.

A clause in the district’s contract with its classified employees requires it to pay those workers 2 1/2 times their standard pay when they work on a day of mourning or similar officially declared national observance. The 12,500-student district will remain open today.

District officials estimate that today’s national observance to honor the 37th President who died Friday will cost them an additional $30,000 over the $20,000 in daily payroll costs for the 300 classified employees.

“It’s just a shame we have to spend money that way,” said Norm Miller, the fiscal adviser who was assigned by the Los Angeles County Office of Education to oversee the district’s finances.

The high school district was discovered to be facing a multimillion-dollar deficit more than two years ago. The district was forced to lay off employees, slash programs and borrow $8 million from the county. The final loan payment is expected to be made at the end of May.

Robert Girolamo, superintendent of the Antelope Valley district, said the district hopes to be able to avoid paying the $30,000. Once contacted about the issue by the classified employees union, Girolamo said the district will propose offering a vacation day to the employees later in the year or during the summer.

William D. Dawson, acting state superintendent of public instruction, notified school districts Tuesday that schools are not required to close and that the decision to do so “remains a local option.”

Girolamo said the district chose to stay open primarily because it needs to meet the minimum 175 days of instruction mandated by the state.

“We don’t have the days, it’s not an option,” he said. “There’s a point it’s more important to have schools open for the kids.”