Both Sides State Cases on Irvine School Tax

* I am trying to understand the opposition to Measure A, the parcel tax for the Irvine Unified School District.

The “no” letters seem to resonate the same message: administrative waste, mismanagement, scare tactics, union ploy, too costly.

These statements reflect the easiest ways to argue--with sound bites that raise anxiety, but aren’t backed up with facts.

The next week will be filled with an outpouring of negative attacks. When you only have to get one-third of the vote to win, these are winning tactics.

In our busy lives, sometimes all we have to do is hear a few negatives and we’re scared off. When the “No on A” campaign hits, [people should] get all the facts, read the independent Miller Report or attend the public forums where supporters of Measure A have invited the “no” folks to an honest discussion aimed at helping voters get the truth.

The Orange County Board of Realtors has pointed out that property values are greatly affected by schools. A drop in property values of only 1% on a $250,000 home would equal $2,500. A 5% drop would equal $12,500. Yes, the $95 parcel tax does add up to $1,520 over its 16 years, but virtually any drop in property values would cost more.

Irvine Unified School District has the best test scores, the lowest dropout rate, numerous nationally recognized schools and award-winning programs. One of the main reasons people move here is for the schools.

Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer (R-Newport Beach) stated, “Irvine Unified School District has done more with less money than any other district in the state of California.” What more could a community want from a public school system?

MARY THOMAS-VALLENS

Irvine

* Well, I’ve just read the “Rebuttal to Argument Against Measure A” in the sample ballot.

I find it hard to believe that as a property owner in Irvine who is opposed to paying more taxes I am “part of a noisy minority with an extreme agenda.”

I also saw the newsletter the president of the teachers union wrote to the members: “Dear friends, without this Parcel Tax passing, the chance of us getting a raise is virtually nonexistent.”

What was that about a “noisy minority?” Sorry. I’ll be voting no, again.

GREGG FAUCEGLIA

Irvine

* There’s a lot of misinformation about Measure A.

There is no more “fat” to cut at Irvine Unified’s administration. Three outside, independent audits of the districts’s finances bear this fact out. The latest audit states the administration is now understaffed for managing a district and budget of our size.

The cuts are real and will be carried out if Measure A does not pass.

Every Irvine teacher hired in the past three years will be laid off. It took 25 years of hard work to build excellence in our schools, but it will evaporate overnight if these cuts are made. The caliber of these teachers is evidenced by the aggressiveness of neighboring school districts who are now recruiting them.

Irvine Unified is required by state law to maintain at least a 3% reserve in the budget. If the district touches this money, the state will take over and make even more devastating cuts.

The reality is the school board and the district have worked miracles with what little money they do get from Sacramento. The school board, the district, parents and community members are all working very hard in Sacramento to change the district’s funding formula that was set in the early 1970s.

But even state Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine) says that it will be an uphill battle against the Los Angeles and Bay Area politicians who originally crafted the formula to favor their communities.

Even Riverside’s school district filed a lawsuit for equitable funding in 1983 and has yet to see any additional money from the state.

We bought a house in Irvine because of the excellent schools and paid more than what we would have elsewhere in Orange County. If Measure A fails, excellence in our schools will be destroyed and home values will go down.

MARI FUJII

Irvine

* What is prominent in the opposition to Measure A is a revulsion toward having to pay another tax, one running 16 years, having characteristics of going on forever, never being repealed.

The opponents do not have access to the public facilities which have given the proponents of the measure an illegally assumed advantage in forcefully bringing their views before Irvine’s voters.

The opponents must work many times as hard, yet never approach the level of help and public facilities handed to the proponents.

The anti-tax group cannot imagine Irvine Unified not being able, in 16 years, to get its fiscal house in order. The district must fix its fiscal management before it is given more money to mismanage.

For now, on April 11, the vote should be no on Measure A.

ED BRISICK

Irvine

* Irvine schools are in a crisis. There is not enough money.

As a teacher who would love a higher salary, I would be one of the first to say, “Cut the administration,” but there are no more administrators to cut. The district has cut these positions for the past nine years.

For some letter writers to claim there is more fat to be cut is ludicrous. One claimed that there is money because our budget has increased over the past 10 years.

Of course it has, but so has the cost of living, the number of students in our schools and the number of state-required programs.

Community members have asked why we don’t just ask Sacramento for more money. We have been doing just that. Board members, our superintendent and community members are continuing to lobby for Irvine to get our fair share of state education money, but so far to no avail.

Irvine has had an outstanding school district that has provided a superlative education to our students and high property values to our community.

For residents to claim that a parcel tax of $8 per month is unfair and unnecessary is extremely shortsighted. We need to vote for Measure A.

MARY LOU SORTAIS

Irvine

* We, like many families, moved to Irvine for the schools. Having lived in Los Angeles before moving here, I would never have believed that we would enjoy life in Irvine so much.

There is a sense of community here, and at the center of that community is the neighborhood school. Our sons are in fourth and second grades. They were fortunate to enter the school just as class size reduction came into being and have flourished in classrooms of 20.

My fourth-grader is energized by science, his keyboarding and computer skills are better than mine, and he is gaining an exposure to music he wouldn’t otherwise have had.

But beyond this, we have all made a circle of lifelong friends and business associates because of the school. Therefore it disheartens me to think that we, as a community, are willing to throw this all away for a mere $95 a year.

For the cost of two ice cream cones or one movie ticket a month, people are willing to destroy what makes Irvine great. Our schools are our draw. Companies relocate here because of them, families move here for them and we enjoy high property values because of them.

TIA GOLDEN

Irvine