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Conejo trustees vote to make fiscal cuts
Projected $4.5 million deficit likely to force elimination of teachers, jobs
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The Conejo Valley Unified School District board voted unanimously Tuesday night to cut spending and eliminate positions to reduce an anticipated $4.5 million budget shortfall next school year.
The board held a budget study session last week and made final decisions Tuesday for the 2008-09 year.
Although the first round of fiscal cuts leaves school programs largely intact, the board on June 17 will consider approving an additional $1.4 million in cuts for the 2009-10 school year in lieu of closing University and Meadows schools, Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Baarstad said.
"We believe this is an issue that should be resolved," Baarstad said. "About 50 percent (of the 2009-10 cuts) would come from school sites, with the great majority of these cuts coming from the high school and middle school programs."
To cover the $4.5 million fiscal gap for 2008-09, the board approved transferring workers' compensation funds, eliminating deferred maintenance contributions and cutting 15 teaching positions.
The board also approved the elimination of three custodial jobs, some vacant positions such as a full-time accounting technician and a media center clerk, several special education teaching positions in middle and high schools, a coordinator's job and an orientation-mobility assistant.
The board must approve a final budget by July 1, Baarstad said.
Some audience members said during Tuesday's public comment portion of the meeting that eliminating programs to save the two elementary schools has caused a divide in the community.
The board voted in March to shutter University and Meadows by fall 2009.
The board will consider whether to cut school programs instead when it next meets at 6 p.m. June 17 at district offices, 1400 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks.
Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved new school boundaries that would transfer current University students to either Wildwood or Weathersfield schools.
No decisions made
The board also discussed potential options for Meadows, which include turning it into an arts magnet school, closing it and transferring students to Lang Ranch or Westlake Hills schools, giving Meadows parents first priority on choosing their children's new schools, or developing it into a charter school.
No decisions were made, but the issue will be discussed again June 17.
Some Meadows parents trying to create their own charter school called Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary said they submitted their charter petition to the district Monday. It was signed by 12 of the 15 teachers at Meadows, the parents said.
"Until the board makes a binding decision, we will be moving forward," said Marlo Hartsuyker, president of the charter's board.
Baarstad said the district "would not lose a huge amount of money" if the charter operated in cooperation with the district.
"Ultimately, if we do close schools and if a charter would proceed, our position is it ought to be a cooperative relationship," Superintendent Mario Contini said. "If the board decides to close the schools, there are no guarantees. It is always plausible that an effort made to cut (programs) could have a long-lasting effect on the district, just as closing schools would."
Board appointments
The board also made the following appointments for the 2008-09 school year:
Jeff Davis will serve as director of secondary education; Martin Manzer, Conejo Valley High School principal; Elizabeth Bryant, Thousand Oaks High School assistant principal; Nicole Judd Funfar and Steve Lepire, Westlake High School assistant principals; James Martinez, Newbury Park High School dean; Mary Zeigler, Thousand Oaks High School dean; Jason Branham, Westlake High School dean; Dave Holmboe, Colina Middle School dean; Sheila Carlson, Westlake Hills School principal; Jean Gordon, Madrona School principal; Amie Mills, Aspen School principal; and Kirsten Walker, Acacia School principal.
Posted by jsvitenko on June 5, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Dear Parents of CVUSD students,
I am a parent at University. To say that it has been a painful last 4 months would be an understatement. I have solace in the fact that we have never attacked or spoke unkindly about another school, and we have never pointed to the fact that Secondary Education has Century High School and a campus with an average 30 students, and Conejo Valley High School has 207 students-We aren't gathering parents against these schools with email and phone calls because they are SMALL! On the contrary--watching the Century High School students speak passionately about their school at the previous board meeting made us really feel for them, that for two weeks they had to go through what we have had to go through for 4 months.
This budget crisis is a WHOLE district problem! Not just University and Meadows. Before the school closure announcement, we were projected by the district to loose 5-8 students next year, from 328-323! Wow! Big loss!
Secondary education from 2007 to 2009, the year when the budget cuts take place, SECONDARY EDUCATION WILL LOSE 538 STUDENTS! This equals $3,120,400 less income for secondary education.
No one is saying secondary education should be cut by this amount- but the sacrifice of this district has no business falling on just two schools, or even just elementary schools.
If University and Meadows keeps getting the attacks and hits from all sides-- the district, the board, influencial parents of this district sending criticizing emails (we've ALL received that email by now), the secondary school parents(Who most of us are too for gosh sakes!), how does anyone expect us to recover, heal and keep loving this district and giving countless volunteer hours and fundraising money if, after, our schools are closed? We did not put these secondary elementary budget items on the budget!!! As a matter a fact, I don't belive student ratio numbers should increase to 30.5 students. Instead it can easlily come from the District Travel and Leisure Budget where it was just released last week that it was supposed to be $420,000 for 2007-2008, but went over to $793,842--That's right $373,842 OVER BUDGET, (but according to the DISTRICT, WE need to close University to save a whole $625,000)--That is the money right there to complete the $1.4 million dollar cuts without touching secondary education class numbers. Seconday Parents--I urge you to help us find solutions to the budget, not protest against us and tear us down.
Please, please stop the insulting emails! Stand up for the WHOLE District. We can accept it if we close, but you'll hurt us beyond repair if the attacks continue. We stand together as a district, or we fall apart.
Thank you! (And I hope none of you parents are in our shoes anytime soon.)
Posted by unclneal on June 5, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
One of the primary reasons that so may school districts all over California are in financial trouble is that the unions (both for the teachers and the classified staff) have become too powerful and are demanding too much pay and benefits... Of course the school districts can't continue to pay the higher wages if the enrollment goes down or the state tax base decreases...
It is too difficult to fire anyone these days at any school district, and the unions seize every opportunity to bad mouth management and try to fight for higher wages, even though the benefits they already enjoy are the highest in the nation. I know that the cost of living here is very high, but people need to live within their means, not beyond. I see custodians and bus drivers and gardeners buying new cars every year and they get repossessed, and they turn around and do it all over again, all the while complaining that their wages are too low.
Get over it, learn to budget, and stop whining.
Posted by sediaz on June 5, 2008 at 11:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
All I have to say is TEACHERS (Police and Fireman) are not PAID enough. Their pay isnt the issue. We have other issues that need to be addressed.
No one should ever say TEACHERS are overpaid. They shouldnt have to demand more money for what they put up with. WE as a society should be giving them ALL they want and more.
Without teachers we'd have no doctors, lawyers, etc.
Get a better budget or someone that can do it and we might see some real results.
Posted by jsvitenko on June 5, 2008 at 2:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree! The teachers pay comes first!
Posted by justamomof3 on June 5, 2008 at 11:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If the school board needs to make cuts because of declining enrollment and budget cuts then how can they justify keeping a full staff? This situation we are in, we are all in this together K thru 12th Grade. The primary/elementary schools are not responsible for creating this situation we are in. It's just the way it is.
Is it better for everyone to make some cuts or two neighborhood schools to take the hit for everyone?
And another note. It's not just two schools that are affected. All the schools and their neighborhoods will be affected with more traffic, less parking and crowded classrooms.
Posted by tweetybyrdrt on June 6, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
jsvitenko, Right there you hit the heart of the problem. Our CHILDREN should come first. That is the reason I do whatever it takes (and it isn't easy) to put my CHILDREN through Private/Christian school.
Posted by SpiderWoman on June 6, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have one word . . .
L O T T E R Y
Where is all that money?
They need to get rid of all that dead weight at the district level.
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