Officials on both sides of the bargaining table say it’s unclear how Oxnard Union High School District and its largest union will bridge a $9-million shortfall from the state.

The two sides must soon reach agreement on whether to make large cuts to employee salaries and benefits, use one-time federal stimulus dollars or exercise options the state recently created for school districts.

California recently allowed school districts to reduce the school year by five days. It also removed restrictions on money earmarked for other purposes that could be applied to salaries. Both moves could fill the $9-million payroll gap.

Another option is for Oxnard Union to use one-time federal stimulus money and reserves in employee health insurance premiums.

Board President Steven Stocks said he expects to discuss the matter at the Aug. 26 board meeting.

He said the district is not planning any layoffs this year.

The district’s contracts with the Oxnard Federation of Teachers, which represents nearly all of the district’s employees, includes a revenue-sharing formula that guarantees employees receive an increase when income from the average daily attendance of students is up but also share in the loss when income is down, said Randy Winton, Oxnard Union’s assistant superintendent of business services.

Federation President Jim Rose said the state, on the other hand, could decide to take money from a funding stream that wouldn’t affect salaries. The federation represents some 1,600 employees, of which about 800 are teachers.

Oxnard Union actually expects to lose $20 million from the state this school year, but through cost savings put in place last year, the high school district can make up for $11 million of the shortfall, Winton said. For instance, the district will leave vacant jobs open, including teaching positions, and has eliminated overtime. Also Oxnard Union won’t be giving employees a 1 percent raise as it did last year.

Rose said the mood among employees is one of acceptance. They realize they won’t be getting a raise this year, and teachers understand they’ll have more students; in general they’re glad to have jobs, Rose said.

For the past two years, Oxnard Union hasn’t replaced some 40 teachers it’s lost through attrition. As a result teachers have two additional students in every class. Teachers typically have five classes a day.

Rose said he’ll consider it “a real accomplishment” if the district gets through the school year without any layoffs

“I’ve been in teaching 30 years,” said Rose, a computer applications teacher at Frontier High in Camarillo. “This is the worse I’ve ever seen it.”