Ojai parents got a goal and a deadline this week from their public school district.

If they raise about $330,000 by June 3, then their schools might be spared from the chopping block this year. If not, Ojai Unified School District trustees might have to close one of the campuses.

The Ojai Education Foundation and Parent Teacher Associations in the K-12 district have banded together and started a campaign called Save Ojai Schools, or SOS. They plan to push for more state funding for public schools while raising money on their own for Ojai Unified.

On Tuesday night, the groups asked the school board to join in the effort, and trustees unanimously agreed.

If enough money is raised, the board agreed, it will be used for the groups' priorities: saving schools from closing and stopping class sizes from increasing.

"Can we raise the money? The only thing I can tell you is this: I'll give," said Glenn Fout, a Meiners Oaks School parent and SOS member. "I'll give an amount I never thought I would reasonably have to give to my school. I won't ask for cookie dough or cheesecakes or T-shirts. I just want to save our children's educational experience at all of our schools."

He was one of about 60 parents, teachers and students who gathered at Matilija Junior High School on Tuesday to listen to the school board discuss the budget planning process, which could include closing schools.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed cutting billions of dollars from California school funding in 2008-09. The Legislature must still approve a final budget, and by the time that happens, the funding picture could change.

In the meantime, however, school officials throughout the state are considering drastic cuts to prepare for a worst-case scenario, which in Ojai includes school closures.

Earlier this year, parents at Ojai's Summit School pledged to donate $30,000 to the district — the amount district officials estimated could be saved by closing the campus of 50 students. Superintendent Tim Baird said Tuesday the donation will be used to cover general operating expenses of Summit, as requested by the parents.

Summit parents, who started their efforts before SOS was organized, also pledged to help the districtwide campaign, which raised $17,000 at a Sunday rally.

"This is just the beginning of a concerted effort," Fout said, asking the board to hold off on recommending school closures or increasing class sizes. "Give us time to close the gap."

School closures, layoffs, increased class sizes, elimination of hot lunches and cuts in teacher compensation have all made Ojai's list of potential reductions. The district says it needs to shave $2 million from a $25 million annual budget.

Trustees expect to approve a budget for the 2008-09 school year at a June 3 meeting, and no final decisions have been made yet.

The board Tuesday heard a district plan to generate more revenue, including a possible parcel tax, higher fees for using school facilities, and energy savings such as replacing the high school pool's heater with a more efficient model and putting motion sensors on lights. But cuts would still be needed, Baird said.

School closures weren't the only cost savings measure criticized Tuesday. People urged trustees to protect libraries and nutrition programs. Lauren Coyne, a Summit parent, challenged the board to fully explore the effects of cutting hot lunches and serving cold sack lunches instead.

"You've been told that this might be the only meal that one child, or many children, might get," she said. "I want you to know that for me, as a child at Meiners Oaks School, that was my only meal. I relied on that hot lunch to keep me going."

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