Education Fund becomes political football

By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

"Calabasas is not just benefiting Calabasas students," Harrison said. "One quarter of the students from A.E. Wright (Middle School) are from Agoura and we are aiding them. So I’m hoping Agoura will come up to the plate and reimburse us."

The comments sparked a reaction from community members and school officials.

The Las Virgenes Unified School District, to which Calabasas belongs, includes students from four cities and two counties. Donald Zimring, district interim superintendent, said state law allows district students to enroll in any school within district boundaries, as long as there is space and programs available. In addition to the students outside Calabasas who attend Calabasas public schools, there are students from Calabasas who attend Agoura Hills and Westlake Village schools.

Among its contributions, the Calabasas Education Fund helped pay the salaries of a counselor, librarian and principal.

School Board Member Terilyn Finders said she initially supported Harrison’s March 8 reelection bid because he had made a positive difference for students and the schools, but she added, "There is cause for pause when (Harrison) said that Calabasas should charge other cities for dollars that have been spent on students outside of Calabasas."

"When I heard those words come out of his mouth I was deeply saddened," Finders said. "That is not the kind of attitude that benefits the children of this community. It is not reflective of how the community members feel."

Some members of the Education Fund believe that the organization should become a regional effort, including Calabasas Mayor Pro Tem Barry Groveman. He said certain grants and corporate contributions are not available to single cities that are part of a unified school district.

Meanwhile, Red Godfrey, the fund’s executive officer, was directed Jan. 24 by members of the fund board to gather information about a districtwide effort to aid local schools.

Harrison, who is credited with starting both the Education Fund and the Calabasas Education Commis-sion, reportedly tried to suppress the report, first by requesting that city staff remove the item from the agenda, and then by making a call to Godfrey’s home with the same request.

Godfrey said she was "bullied."

When Harrison’s attempt to remove the report from the Feb. 2 city council agenda failed, he attempted to stop the report from being read. Harrison said that he didn’t think Godfrey needed to reiterate at the city council meeting what was already explained in the written report.

Ron Rosengarten, the fund’s vice chair, questioned whether there was a conflict of interest with Godfrey serving on both the Calabasas Education Fund and the Las Virgenes Education Fund, a similar, district-wide organization that also seeks private donations for local public schools. "They’re both chasing the same money," Rosengarten said.

Harrison said he supports both the Education Fund and a broader, regionalized effort.

"Both serve a purpose," he said.