School Board Plans for Added Revenues

With an expected 3.21% increase in the amount it receives per student from the state boosting its revenues, Ventura Unified School District plans to slightly reduce its K-5 class size, hire more teachers and possibly add an assistant principal at each of the two high schools.

The plans are laid out in the $67-million preliminary 1996-97 budget, which was approved unanimously by the school board Tuesday.

With a projected additional 330 students--boosting enrollment to 16,373--and the per student increase, the district expects its revenues to be $1.9 million higher than in the current fiscal year.

The district plans to spend $1.4 million on a 3.21% salary increase for its employees.

The district also hopes to hire nine new teachers at a cost of $365,000 to cope with the enrollment growth. An additional $200,000 would be spent to hire five teachers and reduce the number of students per class in kindergarten through fifth grade from the current 30 to 29.5.

Officials also hope to hire an additional assistant principal each for Ventura and Buena high schools, said Georgeann Brown, director of budget and finance.

And for the first time in several years, the district hopes to increase its spending on supplies, Brown said. The planned increase in spending for supplies by $5 per student, Brown said.

The final budget will not be approved until later this summer, after the state passes its budget and the district completes contract talks with its unions.