School district slices away at budget

School board members cut the Conejo Valley Unified School District budget the hard way, using a study session last week to delete funds line by line, and approving their cuts unanimously at yesterday's board meeting.

The first task was to cut $1.9 million from the CVUSD general fund to account for the governor's cuts in education funding and the developing issue of declining enrollment.

The district actually needs to cut about $4.5 million, but reductions in teacher staffing because of declining enrollment- totaling more than $2.5 million- as well as other various savings, had already been agreed upon.

Dep. Superintendent Jeff Baarstad also suggesed that a few vacant positions, mostly in special education, be eliminated without anyone being laid off.

"No one loses their job, and they are things we'd do anyway because of declining enrollment," Baarstad said.

Over the threehour study session, the board kept the cuts away from school sites as much as possible, although counselor access was reduced at Los Cerritos Middle School and Thousand Oaks High.

Some custodial positions at the elementary and high school levels were also eliminated, and the high school's dean of attendance position was cut in half.

Other cuts were made in travel and conference budgets, organization memberships, child nutrition contributions, supply budgets, secretarial positions and a couple of other district office jobs.

The board reached the $1.9million goal with a $48,000 cushion.

Next the board put together another $1.4 million in cuts to vote on, which, if passed, would allow University and Meadows schools to remain open.

The board voted in March to close the schools by the 2009-10 school year, but left the option to rescind the desicion if the budget improved, enrollment increased or the money was found. Closing a school saves the district about $650,000.

The second round of cuts proved to be more difficult, and some board members, especially Tim Stephens, pushed for an average class size increase from 30 to 31 students in grades four through 12. The increase would bring in more than $1 million alone.

Baarstad lobbied hard against the increase.

"Nothing has more of a direct impact on instruction than class size," Baarstad said. "Our feeling is that should be one of the last things we look at, not one of the first."

Superintendent Mario Contini agreed, despite board members' ideas to reverse the decision and drop back down to 30 when funds became available.

"I've found that it's very, very difficult to ever restore class size back to that small size," Contini said. "I've never known a case where it was reversed."

But board members Pat Phelps and Dorothy Beaubien both pointed out that CVUSD had raised and restored the average class size "a couple times."

In the end, the board chose a half-child increase in grades six to 12, which cut $400,000. Board members also eliminated 45 high school coaching stipends, which would mean cancellation of freshman teams for some sports if booster clubs can't provide the money.

Other cuts included additional elimination of custodial and groundskeeper positions, an audiovisual technician, construction supervisor and clerk typist. The special education teacher discretionary budget was also reduced by $30,000 and the classified training budget was cut by $5,000.

The board decided against cutting a $10,000 budget for various teacher, staff and parent breakfasts and receptions, drawing moans from the crowd. The trustees argued that recognition is an important component for the district's workers. An across-the-board 1 percent reduction in salary schedules was also rebuffed.

"We are asking our employees to assume more responsibilities here," Stephens said. "I think we'd be off the rail to ask them to take a pay cut."

The $1.4-million cut list was created with a $23,000 cushion and will be voted on as an alternative to closing schools June 17.

"If this is adopted, it will be in lieu of closing schools," Baarstad said. "And school closure will be off the table for three years. We feel that this isn't a process we'd like to put the public through every year."

The $1.9 million in cuts have been officially approved and will go into effect during the 2008-09 school year.