Lessons in Irvine Tax Defeat

Re “$3.9 Million Is Donated to Irvine Schools,” April 14:

Three cheers for the Irvine Co., Donald Bren Foundation and Irvine Public Schools Foundation for their stunningly generous, one-year bailout donation.

Now we’ve got some time to plan for the long term.

Almost 19,000 Irvine citizens voted yes on Measure A and would happily pay $95 per year to preserve the high quality of this critically acclaimed school district.

Let’s tap this ready-and-willing revenue stream. To turn this into a longer-term funding source and not a one-time donation, let’s make it a three-year commitment, paid upfront.

And let’s enlist the support of the City Council and other area corporations like Broadcom and Conexant. We all share the same need for a strong school system--one that can help preserve property values and nurture a well-educated local talent pool.

If even half the voters for Measure A paid $285, this would generate nearly $1 million annually over three years.

Perhaps the city could allocate $200,000 per year. And maybe we can solicit $1 million or more annually in three-year grant money from a combination of local corporations.

Combined, these revenue sources would generate more than $2 million annually for three years. Maybe this would be enough to keep us somewhat stitched together, while buying us enough “scrambling” time to work with other Orange County school districts to bring a lawsuit against the state in pursuit of the funding equalization that we all so desperately need long-term.

CAROLYN FROMM

Irvine

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I thought parents in Irvine were very proud of their schools. That was one of the reasons, besides a low crime rate, that many people moved here.

The failure to pass Measure A proved me wrong. Even though I don’t have any children, I voted for the measure. I wanted other people’s children to benefit from it.

In the coming age of globalization, we all want our new generation to have the best education experience in order to compete in an increasingly competitive world.

The opponents of Measure A want the educators to work within their means. That was a ludicrous and selfish claim. Everyone always wants the best but nobody wants to pay for it.

As the old saying goes, one gets what one pays for. Is this what we want for our future generation? If so, what a shame!

JONATHAN LYNNE

Irvine

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Today is a sad day not only for the children of Irvine but for all the children in California. It’s no wonder that the schools in California rank near the bottom.

If one of the most affluent communities in the state is unwilling to pay 25 cents a day to maintain its schools, then God help us.

I would pay a dollar a day if it was needed. That is why I moved to Irvine. That is why I live in a box of 950 square feet, so I can send my kids to the best schools. I might as well go live in a neighboring city now and pay 25% less for housing.

We are in the best of times, economically, in the history of our state. What kind of message are we sending our children?

What’s sad is that Irvine ranks high in comparison with other schools, but the truth is, the Irvine schools could do a lot better.

A lot of the campuses need building and playground repair. What do children learn when they arrive at school on the first day and see chipped paint and broken lockers? I see this in Irvine all the time. This is the best we can do?

I worked briefly in a junior high school in South Central L.A. as a teacher’s aide while attending college. I was shocked to find the same fifth-grade health book that I had as a child. The school also had an old-fashioned switchboard that I had never seen before. These kids were basically sent to baby-sitters for the day.

My second-grader has 17 children in his class. Next year, I am told, this will jump to 30 to 35 kids. How can any 7-year-old learn under these conditions?

I feel bad for the teachers who are losing their jobs, but they will find another one. It’s the kids who won’t find a better school. I sit here with a broken heart.

CATHRYN LEFF

Irvine

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Perhaps someone should remind Eunice Cluck, organizer of the opposition to the measure to bail out Irvine public schools, that all of us are responsible for the education of future generations.

The Times quotes her on April 13 as saying, “These people want someone else to pay their bills.”

These are not someone else’s bills. They belong as much to Cluck as to any of us. They are the obligation of all who have benefited from the advances in medicine, arts, sciences, humanities and the recent economic prosperity that have improved the quality of life in America.

These are the tangible products of the education system. Unwillingness to support the system that created these advances while taking full advantage of their benefits is certainly myopic selfishness.

A lesson in responsibility from elementary school that some voters may have forgotten: “Who will help me bake the bread?” Henny Penny asked. “Not I,” the pig said. “Who will help me eat the bread?” “I will!” the pig said.

GARY RICH

Fullerton

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You go, Eunice Cluck!

Congratulations in helping defeat that ghastly $95-a-year school tax.

If I’m not mistaken, that’s a four-peat for you. Four times you have helped defeat an effort to help Irvine’s public schools. What an achievement!

I hope you treated yourself to a hearty celebratory meal after each triumph. Here’s hoping you didn’t spend more than $23.75 each time, however, because that would add up to . . . $95!

DANIEL OTTER

Anaheim Hills

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Re “Irvine Tax Defeat Spurs Soul-Searching,” April 13:

Your article, Page One, no less, shows your own bias as clearly as anything I’ve read to date.

The tax measure failed because the district and its minions falsely created a crisis that did not exist. There was never a need for the tax, not now, not ever. Enough intelligent voters saw through the lies to vote no, and they will do so again.

The shameful part of the pro-tax hoopla was the message from teachers, officials and the PTA to the students who were conned into supporting and helping the campaign: “Anything goes in politics!”

DAVID CLARK

Irvine

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The Irvine parcel tax campaign and the private donors’ 11th-hour stay of execution were a roller-coaster ride for many of us in Irvine.

It’s easy to lose perspective when emotions run high. But now is the time to reflect on the true winners and losers.

The “No on A” people won in more ways than one.

They defeated the parcel tax. Their claim that money would be found to prevent teacher layoffs this year has been borne out. Finally, they have demonstrated that future parcel taxes in Irvine are probably a waste of time and that “No on A” parents and homeowners can freeload off donors who are committed to Irvine schools.

But for supporters of quality education in Irvine, winning doesn’t mean passing a parcel tax or showing the anti-tax folks they are wrong about layoffs. Winning means finding the money to keep providing a World Series-quality education at just over farm-team spending rates.

The parcel tax campaign was a necessary step in finding that money. Many supporters were incredulous that it did not pass. If donors had been asked to pony up large sums without it we would have said, “Unfair! Take it to the voters!” But now we are wiser, and we understand that we must do the job alone.

Anti-tax politics in California have devastated K-12 education. Children are the losers. Education supporters now understand that our donations are needed to make Irvine schoolchildren winners.

I have sent my $95 to the Irvine Public Schools Foundation. We must commit to do so not just this year but every year that state funding policies put Irvine near the bottom of educational spending in the U.S. Irvine kids can’t win without our support.

TERRY LePAGE

Irvine

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Irvine has plenty of money in its coffers to continue funding education, even after the parcel tax failure.

Or maybe they spent all of their “extra” funds on fighting El Toro and their silly attempt to attract an NFL team. Sure glad we no longer live in Irvine.

RAY UHLER

Tustin