CVUSD
School Board not unanimous in protesting state budget
By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

The Conejo Valley Unified School District Board of Education approved a resolution last week opposing the governor’s budget proposal, which would include suspending Proposition 98 funds.

Prop. 98, approved by voters in 1988, guarantees all California public schools a minimum level of funding.

Despite a 4-0 vote, the board was divided over the issue. Mike Dunn disagreed with the rest of the board and abstained. He said it’s unfair to criticize Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger when his predecessor, Gray Davis, and the current state legislature created the massive deficit.

"Criticism without solutions does not solve our budget crisis," Dunn said. "The California Legislature causes the problem and then blames the governor, who is forced to solve the problems. . . . Public schools will not receive a significant increase in funding until tax revenues to the state increase."

Dunn pointed out that the governor’s proposal includes a $3- billion, or 6 percent, increase in education spending—the largest in his proposal.

However, Superintendent Robert Fraisse said the governor’s budget means the school district would receive about $6.5 million for the 2005-06 school year. Expenses, on the other hand, would total nearly $7.3 million and leave the district short about $750,000.

"This is going to be a very tough budget discussion with the governor," he said.

Fraisse said recent studies show California spends "close to the bottom" in per-student funding in comparison to other states. He added that the district has been carrying the burden of four years of budget cuts amounting to more than $20 million.

"For a state this rich, I think it’s really sad California does not spend more on its kids," said Tim Stephens, school board president.

Nonetheless, several audience members opposed the board’s resolution. Thousand Oaks resident John Anderson said it doesn’t address the root cause of the state’s funding problems and hold the legislature to account.

Cathy Carlson, an often outspoken critic of the school board, said she was surprised board members Dorothy Beaubien and Dolores Didio supported the resolution.

"I would expect good Republicans would have supported the governor’s budget reforms and not go along with an obvious partisan resolution," Carlson said.

And Stan McClain, president of the non-teaching employees union, said the governor’s budget fails to take into account that state revenue has increased beyond last year’s expectations.

McClain said he’ll join a coalition of teachers, administrators and PTA representatives in May when they meet in Sacramento with legislators and possibly the governor to discuss the budget.

The governor’s final budget proposal is expected to go before the legislature in May.