Stone Unanimously Voted School Board President

Former Beverly Hills Councilman Richard A. Stone was unanimously elected president of the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education by fellow board members last week.

In an acceptance speech, Stone, 65, outlined several goals he hopes to accomplish during his year in the post.

One is to pass a local bond measure to pay for refurbishing the district’s aging buildings. The school board has instructed district staff members to prepare a report on the subject in time for formal discussion in January, Stone said. The measure will be on the 1993 ballot and requires the approval of two-thirds of voters to pass.

“(Renovations) cannot be financed out of current revenue, and Band-Aids no longer work,” Stone said. He added that school buildings leak during rains and are run-down to the point that they create a depressing atmosphere.

The district has tried unsuccessfully three times in four years to pass parcel-tax measures. The most recent attempt was in 1991. Unlike the flat-fee parcel tax, bond payments are based on assessed land values. Revenue from bonds can only be used for capital improvements, but parcel tax revenues can be used for a wide range of projects.

Another goal is to implement a computerized accounting system that can deliver detailed cost analysis of educational programs. The existing “Civil War vintage” accounting system is too inaccurate to use for budgeting decisions, Stone said.

In other action, board member Lillian Raffel was elected vice president.

Stone complimented outgoing school board president Dana Tomarken for helping four new board members adjust to the duties of overseeing the 4,800-student district. Of the five board members, Tomarken was the only one who served on the board in 1991.

Tomarken, in her second term, said she is planning to retire from the board in December, 1993.