Conejo Valley Unified School District’s budget committee has begun looking for the several million dollars they’ll need to balance next year’s budget.

Jeff Baarstad, deputy superintendent, business services, offered the board of education a glimpse of a possible first round of cuts, which totaled $1.5 million.

The district will need to cut $6 million to $7 million for a balanced budget.

“We didn’t think we could wait until March to start breaking the bad news,” Baarstad said.

The district’s budget committee, made up of principals, parents, teachers and staff members, has been meeting to determine where to slash the budget.

Baarstad said cuts will be seen at the district office, district support services and school sites and possibly in employment compensation, although that would depend on negotiations with unions.

The preliminary cuts included eliminating two teachers and two paraprofessionals in special education.

Seven positions at the district office are being cut, including the planning and facilities director, a special education staffer and an accounting clerk. Several positions in the maintenance and operations department are being eliminated, including three grounds crew members, a custodial supervisor and two maintenance workers.

That first round of cuts would yield about $1.5 million.

Baarstad warned that these were just preliminary ideas. The entire budget won’t come to the board until February or March.

“There’s a lot more hard work to do,” said Kathleen Swindle, budget committee member. Swindle works in purchasing and is representing the California Schools Employee Association on the committee.

“There are 20 jobs here, and all of them are people who believe they are doing something significant for the district,” Baarstad said. “Those are real people that are going to be in the unemployment line. It’s unfortunate that the state has placed far more burden on education than on anyone else.”