Deficit of $2.9 Million Predicted for Schools : Education: The finance director of the Ventura district says a ‘quick fix’ would involve a freeze on hiring and salaries.

Facing a financial crisis that has hit school districts throughout the county, Ventura school officials are predicting a $2.9-million deficit for the next school year that could result in teachers going without a pay raise for the fourth consecutive year.

The preliminary budget projections were presented to the Ventura school board during a meeting Tuesday night.

A “quick fix” would be for the district to freeze salaries and hiring while holding down capital expenditures, Georgeann Brown, the district’s budget and finance director, told the board.

Salary and hiring freezes in the already financially squeezed district will result in increased class sizes and a general decline in services, she said.

Joseph Richards Jr., assistant superintendent of business services, blamed the projected budget shortfall on a decrease in revenues compounded by a continuing increase in the cost of services and benefits for school employees.

“If this funding pattern continues, there won’t be much we can do as a district to sustain ourselves,” Richards told the board.

Many of the county’s 21 school districts are facing similar budget problems next year, said Ken Prosser, director of business services at the Ventura County superintendent of schools office.

“Everyone expected 1992-93 to be a recovery year, but that’s not coming true,” Prosser said. “All school districts will be facing tough budget decisions next year. It looks pretty bleak. Just as bleak as it did last year.”

During the current school year, teachers in about half of the county’s school districts have been forced to go without cost-of-living raises, and others have had caps placed on benefit packages, he said. This will be the case again if state education funding remains at the same level or if it is reduced, Prosser said.

He said officials will know more about what to expect when school districts begin adopting their budgets in June.

Although the Oxnard Elementary School District is still completing its budget projections, it will probably have to use about half of its $4 million in reserves to balance its $57-million budget next year, said John Fitzgerald, the district’s budget director.

He said the district is expected to lose about nine teaching positions through attrition next year, and that those teachers will not be replaced. He said other full-time district employees will have their work hours reduced.

No layoffs are planned, and it is too soon to tell if the district will freeze salaries, Fitzgerald said. But he pointed out that the district’s 450 teachers have already gone without a pay raise for three years.

“We’re really stretched,” he said. “It’s getting to the point now where we’re saying, ‘How are we going to spread the pain?’ ”

The Conejo Valley School District last week reported that it is anticipating a $2.8-million budget deficit for the 1992-93 school year. No teacher layoffs are planned, but cuts in administrative personnel, special teaching positions and non-teaching positions are expected.

About 40 positions will be eliminated, Supt. William R. Seaver said.

“It’s going to be a tight year,” he said. But he said that as a result of the cutbacks, the district’s 650 teachers will receive their 6% pay increase next year as guaranteed by their contract.

Meanwhile, John Gennaro, president of the Ventura Unified Teachers Assn., said he was surprised at the size of his district’s projected budget deficit.

But Gennaro declined to say if the district’s 670 teachers would be willing to go another year without a pay raise. The teachers’ current contract ends June 30.

“They are realistic,” Gennaro said. “They read the papers. But teachers don’t like to think about it. It’s a dreadful issue.”

Buena High School football Coach Rick Scott said teacher morale couldn’t be worse.

“With the situation as it is, good young teachers won’t stay,” he said. “They can give you as many 20-year pins as they want, but if they don’t pay a (decent salary) it won’t make a difference.”

Greg Lee, a drama teacher in the fine arts department, agreed.

“I’m disillusioned,” he said. “I want to be respected on the same level as other professionals in other countries. I have a friend who is a teacher in Switzerland, and he makes as much money as attorneys there.”

Times staff writer Collin Nash contributed to this story.