The Ventura County Star released their ballot suggestions today, and they gave the thumbs up to Measure P, which is a parcel tax to fund Ojai Valley Schools. This newest version asks for less money ($89 per parcel), is capped at seven years, and residents over 65 years of age are exempt.
A strong public education system impacts all Ojai residents’ quality of life, property values and community pride. This is not just a parent-student issue. What are your thoughts on Measure P?
Following the jump are anonymously submitted notes from the Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008, Ojai Unified School District budget study session, which gives some insight into the measure.

=============================================================
Ojai Unified School District trustees grappled with a potential $1.5 million shortfall for the 2009-10 school year at a budget study session Tuesday night. They brainstormed on ways to raise money, cut expenses and collect ideas from the public.
Continued declining enrollment and declining state revenues mean that to balance the budget for 2009-10, the district will likely have to reduce expenditures by $1,477,001 or increase revenue by $1,521,311.
They pinned some hope on Measure P — an Ojai parcel tax on the Nov. 4 ballot, which would levy $89 per parcel for seven years and provide an exemption for seniors 65 and over — to generate from $400,000 to $800,000 a year, depending on the exemption rate.
The least-disruptive solutions to the budget woes, Superintendent Tim Baird said, are passage of the parcel tax on Nov. 4 and a joint occupancy lease and development of the district office.
Estimated expenditures for this school year are $26,032,043, more than anticipated revenues of $24,487,028, based on revenues of $5,822 per student. The district has 3,088 students this year, a number that is projected to decline to 3,010 in the next school year and to 2,928 the year after.
The board looked at a list of reductions proposed in prior years, including school closures, larger class sizes, elimination of food service, reduction in teacher preparation periods, cuts to transportation, athletics, music, drama and more. “The list is the starting point from last year,” said Baird. “This is the night to discuss where do we start, where do we go?” Later, he said: “This is even more difficult than last year. There are things here we didn’t want to have to do.”
Baird said that in considering school closures, the board must take into account that elementary enrollment is growing and that listed savings — e.g., $300,000 for closing a large school, e.g., Mira Monte, Meiners Oaks or Topa Topa; $133,000 for a medium-sized school, i.e., San Antonio; and $30,000 for a small school, i.e., Summit — would be reduced because of the cost of portables and transportation. Some school districts, he noted, have lost more money than they saved by closing schools. “It’s not an easy cure-all. You know that because you went through it last year.”
Last year, trustees decided not to increase class sizes in kindergarten through third grades, even though there is a potential savings of $265,000 by going over the 20-1 student teacher ratio for those grades. “That is a big-ticket item, but many feel it is the underpinning of our success,” Baird said.
Mercado wanted to know the cost of food services and what the district is legally obligated to provide. There was discussion about how money might be saved by eliminating teacher preparation periods. Trustee Steve Fields recommended the district “go through every one of our operating departments” to find further reductions.
Mercado said: “We have to re-examine the sacred cows. We may only be able to do what is required by law. We have to reconfigure ourselves somehow.”
Baird said $50,000 in savings is budgeted as part of the district’s green plan, which includes timers on many lights and computers. And, he said, revenue-enhancing ideas are being generated by entrepreneurial principals, such as Mira Monte looking at renting out its cafeteria. As drastic cuts were discussed, Baird repeated that the discussion was “just a starting point” and that he was not recommending specific cuts at that meeting.
As the budget process moves forward, the district needs to solicit parents, students, staff and community members for ideas, through surveys, town-hall and staff meetings, Baird said. There could also be a revenue-generating committee, with community representatives. Mercado recommended the district set up a computer Wiki forum, in which the community logs on to one site for a community brain dump. “It should be a proactive process,” she said. Trustee Rikki Horne said she wants to “encourage people to talk about revenue enhancements, not just about what to cut.”
Baird said key dates are mid-January, when the governor introduces a new budget; March 15 when teachers are required to get notices about possible layoffs; May 15 when the governor proposes a revised budget; and June 30 when the school budget is due. Baird said that after all the ideas are gathered, the board will have to prioritize and then make decisions.
Rotarian Bill Gilbreth Galbraith said he is “increasingly concerned” about the school district because its problems seem “truly insurmountable.” He said he thinks the district is “being very optimistic in some of your projections.”
He encouraged the trustees to speak to service clubs about the district’s needs; to better communicate its ideas about the skate park; to do a better job of selling the parcel tax to a skeptical public; provide more in-depth budget information on the school district Web site; better explain the parcel tax’s senior exemption; reach out to alumni and other groups to raise funds, such as through a Nordhoff High School alumni association.
Even with all that, he said, given the budget projections, the district may be “doomed to failure,” in which case “we will have a school district that is subpar.”