REPORT FINDS FAULT WITH COLLEGE AID : GRAND JURY CRITICAL OF DELAYS.

Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer

Calling for steps to help students navigate the bureaucracy, the Ventura County Grand Jury on Monday said Ventura County's community colleges need to reform financial assistance programs.

In its final report, the watchdog panel said financial aid programs at Ventura, Moorpark and Oxnard colleges were beset by delays and lack of coordination among administrators.

``There is no apparent cooperative effort to find solutions among the offices involved in providing these student services,'' the report said. ``Each office is attempting to solve these problems without communicating with each other.''

Since the community college district eliminated its student services administrator in 1993, there have been delays in payouts and lack of cooperation among offices, the grand jury said.

In the meantime, the report said the number of students applying for financial aid has more than doubled since 1992 despite a decline in the district's overall enrollment.

``The kids were just being forgotten,'' said Nancy Palumbo, the forewoman of the 1995-1996 grand jury. ``When they cut that position, there was no one to oversee it, and the departments weren't working together.''

Barbara Buttner, a spokeswoman for the college district, said officials only received the report Monday afternoon and were not ready to respond.

``No one has seen it,'' she said of the grand jury report. ``Certainly, we're not prepared to make any comment on it at this point.''

The grand jury urged the college district to hire an administrator to unify financial aid programs and to hire extra help to process aid applications before the fall semester begins. The report also suggested the district resume formal meetings with each aid recipient to make sure policies are understood.

Meanwhile, the grand jury said Ventura County's General Services Agency must stop its practice of issuing vendors blank checks worth up to $600.

The county General Services Agency issues more than $1 million worth of such purchase order checks per year for unplanned purchases like lodging, but does not routinely audit the checks, the grand jury said.

``They're attached to a printer, and anybody can just go and rip one off,'' said grand juror Sabrina Simpson of Moorpark. ``They need to be locked up.''

Tom Womack, assistant director of the General Services Agency, said the blank checks were necessary in many cases, such as when employees were traveling and did not know how much hotel rooms would cost.

``I don't see any major concern,'' he said. ``We've had the program around since the 1960s. We have not found any fraud or abuse.''

In other matters, the grand jury recommended:

Bolstering the staff of the county's Children's Protective Services, improving communications with police agencies, speeding adoptions and recruiting more foster families.

Improvements in safety and security of the county's Public Social Services Agency office in Santa Paula.

Looking into formation of a countywide federation libraries, improving computer technology in branches and operating book stores, gift shops, coffee shops, concerts and films to raise money for branches.