NORTH : PLACENTIA, YORBA LINDA : School Trustees Oppose Prop. 174

If Proposition 174, the school voucher initiative, passes in November, the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District will lose more than $1 million in the current school year, school officials predict.

That amount would rise each year as more students become eligible for the vouchers, which can be used to pay tuition at private schools, said Kim Stallings, assistant superintendent for administrative services.

On Tuesday, district trustees unanimously approved a resolution opposing the initiative. Several teachers, administrators and other school employees spoke in opposition to Proposition 174 during a public hearing. If the initiative passes, parents would be eligible for vouchers of $2,500 per student to go toward private schools.

“I have spent 28 years in public education,” said Judy Glick, principal at Wagner Elementary School. “I truly believe public education is the foundation of American democracy.”

Glick said that if the initiative passes, the result will be a two-tier school system--an assessment teacher Randy Dennis agreed with.

“This initiative has nothing to do with parental choice--only the voucher-redeeming schools will have a choice, and most will choose the best, the brightest and the wealthiest students, thus creating a two-tiered educational system,” said Dennis, union representative for the district’s teachers.

According to Board President Bill Kielty, the district could lose up to $9.5 million in state funding even if no students transfer to private schools over several years. He said that money would go to students already in private schools instead of district schools.

“To put that in perspective, it takes $1 million a year to reduce class size by one student,” Kielty said. “Turn that around and a $9.5-million loss in funding would increase class size by 9 1/2 students.”