by Sylvie Belmondbelmond@theacorn.com

At last Tuesday’s Simi Valley Unified School District board meeting, officials approved a $140-million proposed budget for the 2005-06 school year. But these numbers may be altered once the state passes its own budget, said Lowell Schultze, assistant superintendent of business services.

“This proposed budget is only a place holder budget,” Schultze told the board. School districts are required to pass their budgets by June 30, but the state is always late with its own. This means schools are using the numbers from the governor’s May revised budget to balance their books.

“We’ll be monitoring the budget developments and ensure that our students have everything they need to succeed,” said Superintendent Kathryn Scroggin.

About 90 percent of the school funds come from the state and the rest from federal and local funds, which are decreasing, Schultze said. He also noted that the federal No Child Left Behind Act requirements have increased.

The decreasing student population in Simi Valley could also have an impact in the future, officials said. Most of the money the district receives is based on the number of pupils in attendance, and the district, which has about 21,550 students, is facing shrinking numbers, despite new housing in Simi Valley.

The state allows school districts facing shrinkage to use last year’s numbers, which helps in the short term, Schultze said. Officials also discussed the idea of offering a home-school program to increase enrollment.

The district was running at a deficit before and had to make many cuts to balance the books. Reductions amounted to $16 million, which forced the district to increase class sizes and eliminate some administrative and custodial positions.

Officials expressed concern that the district can’t add nurses, clerical positions and classified employees, but budgetary constraints won’t allow it, they said.

Most of the budget––89 percent––will go to salaries and the increasing cost of benefits.

School board member Debbie Sandland said she knows there are many needs in the district that haven’t been addressed, but officials were compelled to approve this budget. They can review these concerns later, she said.

Based on current figures, the district will be able to set aside about $2 million in reserves this year.