IRVINE

Supporters and opponents of an Irvine Unified School District parcel tax measure say they want the same thing: what’s best for the kids.

But that’s about where the similarities end.

District officials argue that without money from the flat $95 parcel tax, trustees will have to make drastic cuts, including laying off about 120 teachers.

However, Irvine Taxpayers for Better Education say that students will continue to excel without the tax.

Save Irvine Schools, a group supporting the tax, has planned a series of public debates in the weeks preceding the election. The forums will be March 29 at Woodbridge Village Assn., 31 Creek Road, from 7 to 9 p.m.; April 5 at Lakeview Senior Center, 20 Lake Road, from 3 to 6 p.m.; April 7 at City Hall, Council Chambers, from 6 to 9 p.m., and April 9 at Woodbridge Village Assn., 31 Creek Road, from 7 to 9 p.m.