Budget cuts too much, say school trustees
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Moorpark school trustees voted last week to begin a public information campaign on the district's needs for extra funding.

They also agreed to conduct a survey that will gauge whether people will support two ballot measures to help offset expected fiscal shortages.

In response to the state budget crisis, local school leaders want to extend an existing bond measure (Measure R) to maintain facilities and to gain support for a new parcel tax to minimize program cuts and layoffs.

The board discussion at the specially called meeting centered on the process and the time necessary to gather community input, said Superintendent Ellen Smith.

Trustees considered whether it would be feasible to bring a measure to the voters as early as June 2008 to minimize the impact of budget cuts on the 200809 school year, but determined that a possible November vote would allow for more community involvement and education, Smith said.

The concern was not if- but when- the board should ask voters for extra funding, said trustee Ron LaGuardia.

"I was both saddened and angry that the board was put in a position by the state to have to deal with funding cutbacks that seriously effect the operation of the school district," said LaGuardia.

The cutbacks will probably require the layoffs of some district personnel as well as the elimination of some valuable programs, he said.

The district's financial consultant, John Isom, presented several options to address the funding needs, Smith said. The board focused on two of them.

Extending Measure R would help pay for capital and technological improvements, according to the superintendent. Moorpark property owners would continue to pay a rate of about $43 per $100,000 assessed value per year.

A parcel tax at a rate applied uniformly across the district would be used for operations, personnel and programs threatened by deep state budget cuts, Smith said. If passed, it would cost property owners about $50 to $60 per year.