OUSD budget-cutting plans spark concerns
by Bret Bradigan

A standing-room-only crowd filled Ojai Unified School District's board meeting Tuesday night to make sure that the pain of slashing the district's budget will be shared equally.
Since February, the district superintendent, Dr. Van Riley, along with members of the classified and certified staff, have been seeking to cut $1,867,000 from the district's $25 million budget to offset projected losses from declining enrollment and state revenues. On Tuesday, Riley reported on the progress.
So far, they have closed the gap to within $148,000 - with $1,719,000 in proposed cuts.
Those cuts have not come without concern.
Representatives from the classified employees' union, the California State Employees Association, spoke about their sense that they were carrying a disproportionate share of the costs, and warned that cuts to the district's bus drivers, mechanics, janitors, food service staff, clerks and secretaries could have dire impacts on safety, security and efficiency.
"We cannot help but feel that the employee groups are not shouldering the burden equally," said union representative Mark Ditchfield. He said that proposed cuts to administration didn't appear to be as steep, and needed to be looked at again. "This is the message I am obliged to deliver."
Dorothy Johnson, a secretary at Chaparral School and a district employee since 1979, warned that these cuts to classified staff would be felt in the classroom. She also said that in her years at the district, " there have been some empires built," and that all the new programs and personnel that have accumulated need a hard look.
To rousing cheers, she concluded, "If you want to improve staff morale, start at the top, not at the bottom."
In response to a question from board member Rikki Horne, Ditchfield said that the most union members would feel the process was fair if the cuts "were made reasonably equal, I believe that a large portion of us would be satisfied."
Kathi Smith, board president, addressing safety concerns about the lack of substitute bus drivers expressed by Dorothy Williams, asked to have several department heads at the next meeting on May 21 to address to impact of the budget cuts on their departments.
Board member Bob Unruhe said that in a district of 3,900 students, it seemed disproportionate to have 19 administrators averaging $97,000 in annual salary. "When you've got that many people making that kind of money, you've got to take a hard look at it," he said.
Riley said that the district's budget proposal will be up for the board's vote in June, and that there will time to make necessary adjustments at the board's direction.
He said certain items were off-limits as the district went into the process of identifying where to cut. "We wanted to keep the cuts as far away as possible from the classroom," Riley said as he outlined the proposal for the board.
Those items included: no increase in classroom size; no reduction in instruction and equipment accounts; no reduction in teacher development funds; keeping a minimum of 3 percent in reserve; and fully-funded health benefits. The plan also includes a hands-off policy on the one-time relief funds, totaling 769,000 this year, from the state.
Enrollment has declined steadily in the district - 130 students lost this year, 189 expected to be lost next year, and 1,000 students for the decade. Due to these steep declines, the district will lose 11 teaching positions, however, including nine this year; six through attrition, and three who were informed in March that their positions will be closed next fall. An administrator position will also be lost, with a shifting and consolidation of duties between three principals.
In other district news, Carole Paddock, peer mediation adviser, and her students gave an update on the program, in which students trained in conflict resolution act to reduce school tension and violence. The mediation, she said, "Stretches out a conduit for kids who feel disenfranchised."
Nordhoff counselor Janice McCormick gave an update on Nordhoff High School's College Readiness Program, which included several avenues of preparation. Students gave an overview of Bilingual Parent Mentor Program, which is designed to guide Spanish-speaking parents through their childrens' college track; the AVID program, or Advancement by Individual Determination, which targets students who might need an extra push to get them motivated for post-secondary education; the SAT preparation course, in which 79 students endured a 90-hour Princeton Review course, with four practice tests; and the Gold Key Club, designed for the top 50 students in each class to share their experiences as they prepare for post-Nordhoff education, with field trips and counseling.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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