VENTURA : District Can Expect State Boost in 4 Years

The Ventura school district will get a cost-of-living increase from the state for the first time in four years, Budget Director Georgeann Brown told the Board of Education on Tuesday.

General fund revenues for the 1995-96 school year are expected to total $64.4 million, about 2.2% higher than in the current year, Brown told the board. That is an increase of $1.3 million for the upcoming year, she said.

Most of the new money will very likely be used to pay for increases in salaries and benefits for teachers, secretaries and administrators, Brown said.

Employees of the school district received no raises this year, Brown said.

The district is planning to set aside about $4 million to cover any raises given to employees over the next three years, she said. Labor agreements between the district and its teachers and support staff are scheduled to expire at the end of June, Brown said. Union representatives for both groups are in negotiations with the district for new contracts, Brown said.

State funding to the district has been flat for four years, as Gov. Pete Wilson and the Legislature grappled with declining tax revenues. The cost-of-living increase scheduled for the coming fiscal year indicates that the state is finally pulling out of the recession, Brown said.

Wilson’s proposed 2.7% increase for statewide education spending looks safe now, Brown said. But, she cautioned, “We’ve still got to go through the whole legislative process.”

The Legislature is supposed to adopt a budget by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.

The budget will be on display at the district headquarters through June 1.