Agoura Hills to renegotiate school funds

The Las Virgenes Unified School District will receive a $200,000 contribution next year from the city of Agoura Hills, officials announced last week.

The school district has been the recipient of redevelopment agency (RDA) funds for eight years and city and school officials are trying to loosen the restrictions on how the money is spent. This year's school allocation amounts to $200,000

But the redevelopment agency agreement with the school district has restricted the RDA funds to the maintenance and repair of schools within the Agoura Hills area. Earlier monies helped replace the lockers at Agoura High, for example.

"I think there is interest from both the district and city to reconstruct our agreement that would be mutually beneficial," Agoura Hills City Manager Greg Ramirez said. "At this time it is a matter of sitting down at the table and figuring out how to make it a winwin."

The Agoura Hills Redevelopment Agency-which also funds blight control and affordable housing projects in the city-will receive $2.3 million this year in RDA funding. The money comes from an increase in property taxes that local residents have had to pay since the agency was formed 15 years ago.

Each year, 20 percent of the RDA funds are allocated to the city's housing fund, with the remaining money "passed through" to four agencies, said Nathan Hamburger, assistant to the city manager. The $450,000 in funding goes toward affordable housing projects and the city's firsttime homebuyer program. For those who qualify, the program provides a $50,000 subsidy from the city with an additional $50,000 available for public workers.

Los Angeles County receives $1.3 million in RDA money from Agoura Hills. The money is used for flood control, mosquito abatement and other special district programs.

Los Angeles Community Colleges receive approximately $40,000 of the funds.

As for the local schools, Agoura Hills and the Las Virgenes district hope to renegotiate their RDA contract, but some restrictions will remain in place.

"The school district may be able to take (the RDA funds) beyond maintenance," Hamburger said. RDA funds cannot be used to pay teacher salaries, he said.