Las Virgenes schools face tight budget

Budget problems prompted by a weak California and national economy plagued the Las Virgenes Unified School District throughout 2008, a year also marked by new educational programs, technology upgrades and a remodeled middle school.

The Acorn published 12 articles regarding the district's budget problems, starting with a story about Gov. Schwarzenegger's threat to cut school budgets midyear, and ending with an article about why the district was forced to file a "qualified" interim budget and dip into its financial reserves.

School officials identified several moneysaving measures, including the moving of Indian Hills High School and the Las Virgenes Community Learning Center (LVCLC) to new locations.

By leasing the Indian Hills High School building to a private school, the district will be able to save almost $1 million over the next three years. Indian Hills' students were moved to the Agoura High School campus. LVCLC was moved from A.E. Wright Middle School to Sumac Elementary School.

Local measures passed by voters helped ease some of the budget woes. Measure E, the $98peryear parcel tax renewed in 2007, preserved a variety of art, music and physical education programs for 2008.

Measure G, the $128-million bond measure passed two years ago, continued to work in 2008, and received an additional boost from a partnership with the four cities that feed into the Las Virgenes schools. Besides getting new websites, all schools became interconnected with the district office. The new Internet system also features increased bandwidth.

Measure G is also paying for the expansion and remodel of Lindero Canyon Middle School and two new performing arts education centers for both Agoura and Calabasas high schools. In 2008 the Board of Education approved design plans for this centers.

Toward the end of the year, Calabasas High School was identified as one of the top performing high schools in the nation; Agoura High received the stamp of approval for an International Baccalaureate program; and School Board Member Terilyn Finders resigned from her post two years before her term ended to accept a job with a law firm.