Deficit Is Erased in Schools’ Budget Plan

After several years of deficit spending, Moorpark’s school district may finish next term in the black.

The first draft of next year’s budget shows the district spending $513,612 less than it will take in, a dramatic turnaround from this year’s $1.4-million deficit. District trustees are scheduled to discuss the $32-million budget at tonight’s meeting.

Last year, district officials said, the budget was hit hard by the statewide effort to reduce class sizes in primary grades. The effort forced the district to hire extra teachers and buy or lease portable classrooms.

With the program already implemented in district schools, its burden on the budget has eased.

To place the district back on a solid financial footing, officials have proposed spending about 30% less on books and supplies and 12.6% less on operating expenses in the coming year.