Measure E update

Measure E, the $98-per-year parcel tax measure passed by voters in March, raised more money for the Las Virgenes Unified School District than anticipated, according to a report from the Measure E Oversight Committee.

More than $2.14 million was collected in the first year of the tax, but only about $1.86 million was expected, officials said.

Committee member Stuart Selter told the Agoura Hills City Council that every dollar received from the parcel tax in the district’s 2004-05 fiscal year was spent in compliance with the measure.

Selter said the money raised by the tax helped save elementary school reading specialists, librarians and the fourthand fifth-grade science program. Music, art and drama programs were restored to the middle schools, Selter said.

Las Virgenes high schools benefited from the additional money by adding counselors, and class size reduction was achieved district-wide.

Selter said the gain could be attributed to the fact that more parcels were assessed than expected.

He credited Deputy Superintendent Donald Zimring for contacting families whose children attend local schools by permit. Since these families don’t live within the district’s boundaries, they would have been exempt from the parcel tax.

Selter said Zimring’s letter encouraged the families to “voluntarily donate $98 per year.” The response, he said, brought in $20,000. Selter said he expects the same response from out-of-district families for the next three years.

“I was impressed with Stuart for not only coming in with the report, but going back to the whole Measure E effort,” said Jeff Reinhardt, Agoura Hills City Council member. “He and his committee turned in a great effort that’s been to the benefit of the entire community,”

The additional funds prompted the committee to recommend that the school board reserve 3 percent of the funds to be used for the anticipated increase of program costs over the next three years.

“The increase in revenue will also be used to fund new counselor positions created to assist atrisk students and to expand the Bridges program for at-risk students entering middle school,” Selter said.

Other committee members include James Bukowski, Ned Davis, Patti Samuels, Alan Saxe, Stuart Selter, Jeffrey Toder and Dave Tankenson. They reported to councilmembers in the cities of Calabasas, Westlake Village and Hidden Hills.

Measure E was passed by voters by 73 percent after the state cut $3 million from the school district’s budget. Without Measure E funds, the district would have been forced to cut academic, art and music programs and class sizes would have increased, officials said.

The independent, community oversight committee was appointed by trustees to ensure that the four-year, $98-per-year parcel tax money is spent for the purposes approved by voters.