Alarmed by the look of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recently released proposal for an education budget, the Santa Barbara School District this week issued an immediate spending freeze.

In a message posted on the district’s Web site, Deputy Superintendent Eric Smith said the district must gird itself for the possibility of making midyear cuts to the tune of $3.8 million — about 4 percent of the discretionary budget.

“Faced with a two-year deficit of $41.6 billion, the governor is calling for draconian cuts to K-12 education, the largest in history,” he said.

Smith said that although the Legislature may reject Schwarzenegger’s proposal, the Santa Barbara district needs to prepare for “another round of substantial expenditure reductions.” Last spring, the board cut about $4 million from its budget.

As proposed, he governor’s budget would necessitate the $3.8 million in cuts for the ongoing fiscal year, and even more money from next year’s budget, he said.

Smith said the district’s vacant positions can no longer be filled immediately, “and will be evaluated by the superintendent’s Cabinet on a position-by-position basis.”

“Even though we continue to be confronted with challenging times,” he said, “we will continue to plan, and not panic, as we watch the state’s budgetary process unfold.”

Write to rkuznia@noozhawk.com.