VENTURA : Teachers Say Funds Should Buy Supplies

Ventura teachers overwhelmingly agreed in a survey that about $800,000 in one-time state funds should be used to buy art supplies, blackboards, books, computer software and maps.

Classroom supplies beat out computer technology, repairs and maintenance and even teacher bonuses as the most pressing financial need, said John Weiss, president of the Ventura Unified Education Assn.

About a third of the labor union’s 650 members responded to the survey, Weiss said Tuesday.

Weiss said he was impressed that teachers voted to forgo a bonus, even though any money coming into the district is up for negotiation under the terms of the teachers’ labor pact.

“This is one the first times we’ve surveyed our teachers and money for raises or a bonus is not the highest concern,” he said. “They want this money to go to the kids.”

Ventura teachers, like many in Ventura County, recently got their first substantial cost-of-living increase in five years, the result of increased state funding.

The one-time funds, released this summer after settlement of a long-running dispute between Gov. Pete Wilson and a state teachers union, is seen as icing on the cake for many teachers, he said.

In a comments section, many instructors said they want to see the money spent on equipment for classrooms and not for district and administrative offices, Weiss said.

Union leaders will discuss details of how the money should be spent once it starts flowing into the Ventura Unified School District’s coffers later this year, Weiss said. Weiss said he would like to see it allocated to classrooms on a per-student basis.