Voters say, 'Read our lips'

Taxpayers have been kind to their local schools over the years, willing to pay costly fees and absorb millions of dollars in debt to give their children the best education possible.

On Election Day in Oak Park, they finally said, "Enough."

Reiterating the same message sent in the June primary, voters on Nov. 7 vetoed more than $70 million in new bonds that would have kept Oak Park school taxes the highest in the area.

Statewide, voters agreed to pass Proposition 1D, the $10.4-billion public school facilities bond. Adding to that debt is a burden local residents didn't want to bear.

Oak Park administrators clearly overshot the mark. Instead of listening to the message sent them in June, they came back five months later with practically the same spending package. Oak Park schools aren't the shiny gems we remember them from a few years ago, but they remain in far better shape than most. The district is no longer growing--young families find it hard to afford Oak Park--and the old war cry of crowded classrooms rings shallow. A smaller bond in the $40-million to $50-million range would have been more palatable to voters, especially in light of the two-thirds requirement for approval. This is what the school district was told. Now there is nothing.

When children head back to class tomorrow, they will still be taught by teachers who enjoy health and retirement benefits that the average private sector employee would love to have. Oak Park High students return to a campus that boasts a wonderful new library and multipurpose auditorium, and a football stadium with a stateoftheart track. All students are benefiting from a new technology bond that was passed in June.

We're proud of our Oak Park public schools, and Las Virgenes campuses, too, but not all families can afford to keep paying for what seems to be private school stature. We strive to be better, but we're also thankful for what we have. We're there to support our schools with long volunteer hours and necessary out-of-pocket expenses, but to both our local districts we say: No more taxes.

Voters in Westlake Village got their message across, too. No more big box stores. Residents drew a line in the sand.

Even without the tax revenue from Lowe's, Westlake Village will continue to shine as one of the wealthiest cities in Los Angeles County. Constructing new offices at the proposed site may not be the answer, but apparently neither was Lowe's.

Following Tuesday's divisive election, we hope the healing will begin in both communities, Westlake and Oak Park.