Ojai Unified puts two schools on chopping block as part of $3.8M budget cuts

Ojai Unified School District trustees approved a last-minute draft plan Friday night to save $3.8 million over three years by laying off more than a dozen employees and closing two schools.

Last week, César Morales, Ventura County education superintendent, said in a letter that an analysis by his office showed Ojai Unified would "deplete all cash" by July 2024. He ordered district leaders to submit a $2.3 million reduction plan by Friday.

Trustees topped that target during Friday's special meeting with $3.8 million in proposed cuts.

Where specific cuts will occur is yet to be determined. The board will meet Monday to discuss which schools to close. Monday's session starts at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at Matilija Middle School, 703 El Paseo Road.

The district has seen its budget dwindle for years as enrollment steadily dropped. Its cash flow problems became a crisis in the last two years as reserves shriveled and a short-staffed fiscal office made a string of six-figure budget errors, recent reports say.

Friday's draft plan laid out cuts, including six administrative and support staff positions, nine teaching positions and one budget office position.

"Addressing the structural deficit is a step in the right direction," Superintendent Tiffany Morse said on Friday before the meeting.

The district's budget for the current school year is about $35 million.

Morse said her office will work to drill down details of the plan before March 15, when the district must notify the employees it plans to lay off at the end of the school year.

The 2,200-student district has avoided major cuts over the last two decades even as the student population dropped from a peak of 4,200 students in the late 1990s.

During its discussion Friday night, the board left room to roll back elements of the plan, including one of the closures, if circumstances improve. Some layoffs could be forestalled if employees retire or leave.

Ojai Unified's financial problems have attracted scrutiny from the state as well.

The Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, an independent state agency tasked with assisting school districts in financial trouble, issued a report Jan. 13 that said Ojai Unified is at "high risk of fiscal insolvency."

Tensions have flared as the district scrambles to address dire financial concerns amid looming deadlines.

During a board meeting Wednesday night, an official with the teachers' union called for ousting the superintendent.

As Richard Byrd, president of the Ojai Federation of Teachers, stepped to the public speaker's podium, dozens of union teachers and their supporters rose to their feet.

Reading from a letter, Byrd said the union, which represents 97 teachers, had resolved by a majority vote to "declare no confidence in Superintendent Morse's ability to lead the district finances and educational mission competently or ethically."

As Byrd finished, the teachers behind him began to cheer.

"You are done!" one yelled.

Morse attributed the division partly to ongoing contract talks, saying it was "unfortunate that there a lot of mischaracterizations and untruths" she would be happy to discuss.

As of midday Saturday, the agenda for Monday night's special meeting had not been posted on the district's website. Agendas and other information can be found under the "board members and superintendent" link at ojaiusd.org.

Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ojai school district approves draft plan to close 2 schools