Council, Educators Remain at Odds on Lancaster Overcrowding Issue

A months-long effort aimed at forcing developers and future residents to pay for relieving school crowding in Lancaster has failed to produce a consensus, leaving city and school district officials trading blame for the stalemate.

Beset by funding and classroom shortages, the Lancaster School District wants the city to force developers who need certain city approvals to agree to special long-term tax assessments on their land. Most of the actual taxes would be paid by future owners.

But a special committee of developer, city and school district representatives that was formed in February to work out an agreement returned last week with none. That left the issue in limbo. The Lancaster City Council is scheduled to consider the matter Monday.

School officials returned from the group’s most recent meeting last Monday and accused the city and developers of deliberately stalling the process. “They’re playing a game with us . . . We didn’t realize we were being set up,” Lancaster school board President Frank Astourian said.

City officials, however, blamed the school district for not providing enough information about needed school projects and their costs. “The city wants to cooperate, but every time we ask for information from the district, we don’t get answers,” Lancaster City Atty. Dave McEwen said.

It is the latest in a series of flare-ups between the city and the school district over the school funding issue.

A similar debate raged several months ago in the Santa Clarita Valley, and public officials and developers throughout the state are arguing over who should pay for schools.

A $47-million schools bond measure failed to win approval from Lancaster area voters in the April election.

On Monday, the City Council is scheduled to discuss whether to concur with the school district’s November declaration that it is overcrowded and needs relief from the city. Under state law, the council could then delay or halt approval of certain development projects.

The more likely application of the law, though, would be to give the city and school district leverage in forcing developers to enroll their land in so-called Mello-Roos assessment districts. School officials said the resulting tax revenue could help bail out the district.

Under state law, developers can agree to have their projects assessed and pay some initial taxes. But it would be the ultimate owners of the developed property, whether houses or businesses, who would pay the resulting annual tax levy for 20 years or longer to support new schools.

McEwen, citing the overcrowding issue, said he believes the city could refuse to grant zoning changes to developers unless they agree to the special taxes. He said the overcrowding declaration proposed by the school district might bolster the city’s case.

But whether the City Council is inclined to do that remains a question. Mayor Bill Pursley, a city member of the schools committee, did not return calls Friday. Neither did the two developer representatives, former Councilman Lou Bozigian and former City Manager Jim Gilley.

All three work for Mid-Valley Real Estate, a prominent Antelope Valley realty firm. School district officials said the building industry has been pushing instead for a speeded-up conversion to year-round schedules to increase capacity at the district’s 14 existing schools.

Last week, the board voted to adopt its first year-round schedules at two district schools beginning in August. At the same meeting, interim Superintendent Ed Goodwin recommended that two more schools start on year-round schedules a year later.

NEXT STEP

On Monday, the Lancaster City Council will discuss whether to concur with the Lancaster school district’s declaration that it is overcrowded with students and needs relief from the city.

If the council agrees, that could give the city and school district leverage in forcing developers to enroll their land in special tax assessment districts to help bail out the district. The city could do that by refusing to grant crucial zone changes to developers unless they agree to the special taxes. Whether the council is inclined to do that remains a question.