Now, Irvine Voters Know What’s at Stake

The stakes are considerably higher this time as Irvine voters head to the polls next week to once again cast ballots on a proposal to raise property taxes to help their struggling school district.

After the failure of a similar measure in November, members of the Irvine Unified School District’s Board of Education said they had no choice but to identify $5 million in budget cuts in case Measure A, the proposed $95-per-parcel tax, does not pass April 11.

Potential casualties include science, art and music instruction. Layoff notices have been handed out to more than 200 teachers.

The community has long prided itself on the quality of its public education, and finding its programs and teachers on the chopping block has mobilized parents and students behind a vocal campaign in support of Measure A.

“This time we know what the lack of funds means,” said Rod Aldrich, a father and PTA co-president at Culverdale Elementary. “That creates more passion, because all of a sudden teachers have pink slips in their hands, and it hits closer to home.”

Long after other school districts abandoned enrichment courses years ago as too costly, Irvine continued to offer specialized arts, music and science instruction at its elementary schools.

Sharon Solow, a mother of two students at Stone Creek Elementary, is grateful that her daughter can take two 45-minute clarinet lessons each week at school. “How much do you think those lessons would cost otherwise?” Solow said.

These curriculum offerings, combined with concerned parents and high-achieving students, have given Irvine a reputation for quality public education. Newsweek magazine recently named University High School the top public high school in California.

Rallies Planned on Culver Drive

This is the standard that hundreds of Measure A volunteers will be trying to maintain when they post placards, distribute fliers at shopping centers and make calls to likely voters in the coming week, campaign organizers said.

These efforts will culminate in “The Last Stand,” get-out-the-vote rallies to be held on April 10 and 11 along Culver Drive, reminding commuters to vote for Measure A.

The latest incarnation of the ballot measure also offers Irvine senior citizens an exemption from the parcel tax upon request. This unusual exception is aimed at what is often an anti-tax group: adults without school-age children.

But success is not guaranteed.

The ballot measure’s reprise has also galvanized opponents, who hope to build on their slim November victory. They argue that taxpayers should not make up for the budget problems of a school district that receives state and federal resources. The real issue is the district’s mismanagement of its funds, they say.

“We won last time, we’ll win this time,” said Eunice Cluck, president of Irvine Taxpayers for Better Education. “It’s just time for [the district] to reorganize and manage its finances properly, as all citizens have to.”

Long-Term Solution Requires State Action

Measure A supporters disagree. Irvine schools are woefully underfunded, they say. Because of state funding formulas dating back to the 1970s when Irvine was still a sleepy agricultural town, its schools receive about $100 less per student from Sacramento than the average district.

The unequal funding and the cost of enrichment programs have forced the school district to dip into its reserve funds. The district has also been thrifty, officials said, cutting $12 million from its budget in the last decade.

With budget projections showing a $4-million annual shortfall, the district was forced in February to adopt class-size increases and drops in staffing for libraries, health services and specialized science and art classes for a total of $5 million in savings.

The parcel tax, which would generate about $3 million per year for four years before requiring another vote, is seen as a way to save some programs in the short term while the district lobbies for its fair share of state funds, said school board President Jeanne Flint.

“For any long-term funding inequities, we know we have to go to Sacramento,” Flint said. “But that’s a long-term solution, and we don’t have a long-term time frame.”

Opponents of the parcel tax disagree. With Gov. Gray Davis pledging to use the state’s budget surplus for education, they say, it shouldn’t be long before Irvine sees more dollars from Sacramento.

Tax Opponents Allege Mismanagement

And in the meantime, taxpayers shouldn’t have to make up the difference, they say.

“It’s not the right thing to do to us, the taxpayers, to pay for the district’s financial mismanagement,” Cluck said.

Even if the parcel tax passes, cuts will still have to be made to the district’s budget, Flint said.

District officials are “actively planning” for an April 13 board meeting, two days after the election, when ballot results will allow trustees to make more concrete decisions about the budget, Flint said.

“Final [layoff] notices would have to go out May 15 if we do continue with cuts,” Flint said. “If we can reinstate positions, we would want those people to know right away so hopefully they don’t get jobs in other districts.”

District officials have estimated that about 120 full-time teaching jobs will be cut if the parcel tax is not passed.

In the meantime, Measure A supporters have adopted a new strategy for the latest campaign.

They took a low-profile approach in November, fearful of attracting anti-tax voters to the polls. The current campaign is more visible, with the hope that public awareness of the district’s plight will get more concerned parents to turn out on election day, supporters said.

Irvine students also have a larger role in the campaign.

At University High School, almost 350 students have signed up for the Measure A Club and will pass out fliers next weekend at markets, said junior Dahm Choi, one of the club’s founders.

“Obviously [students] are not taxpayers, so there’s nothing for us to lose in passing this,” Choi said. “But in not passing it, there’s so much that we stand to lose. So for us, this is giving back to the community that made us who we are.”

Three community forums, sponsored by the pro-Measure A “Save Irvine Schools,” will feature speakers on both sides of the issue and will include time for public discussion. The events will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Lakeview Senior Center, 20 Lake Road; from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Irvine City Hall; and from 7 to 9 p.m. April 9 at Woodbridge Village Assn., 31 Creek Road.

Some Measure A supporters say they are cautiously optimistic about their chances.

“I feel a lot more energy this time, but it remains to be seen if it’s as widespread as we need,” said Marilyn Jacks, president of Irvine Unified’s PTA Council.