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Measure to Force Council Funding for Schools Hits Streets By Jorge Casuso Feb. 6 -- Unconvinced the City Council will give enough money to bail out the cash-strapped school district, a grassroots education advocacy group will being gathering signatures Friday for a Charter Amendment that would require the City to give at least $6 million to the district every year. The “Excellent Public Schools Charter Amendment” -- which was recently backed by the district’s PTA council -- requires the signatures of about 8,000 registered voters to make the November ballot. The move comes 10 days after the council -- whose members have expressed opposition to the measure -- directed staff to maintain the current $3 million in ongoing funding to the School District and explore raising the hotel bed tax and leasing City properties to boost its support. But sponsors of the amendment say that is not enough to help the district bridge a looming $3 million shortfall under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed State budget, a gap that would remain even if the council matches the $5.25 million it gave last year. What the Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS), which is sponsoring the initiative, wants is predictability so parents, students and district officials don’t have to go hat in hand to the council every year. ”While we appreciate the support our City has provided our schools,” said CEPS Co-Chair Louise Jaffe, “the reluctance of the City Council to make a commitment that is sufficient to the schools’ needs, ongoing, predictable and reliable, convinced us that we have no choice but to move forward with collecting signatures so that we can bring this critical community issue directly to the voters.” Sponsors, who will hold a training session at Bob’s Market in Ocean Park
Friday, said they are hoping to gather 13,000 signatures across the city. Mayor Richard Bloom said that CEPS jumped the gun. “It’s unfortunate that they’ve already made decisions without hearing the full debate,” the mayor said. “I think there are two sides.” Council members contend that the measure -- which in addition to the $6 million requires funding to increase each year if the City’s revenues grow by at least 3.5 percent -- could be fiscally unhealthy and legally suspect. “It significantly limits our flexibility,” Bloom told The Lookout when the measure was filed a month ago. “There really isn’t a new revenue source identified. There is no ongoing revenue source with that amount of money.” The initiative, Bloom said Thursday, “has a tendency to get people to have unrealistic expectations. The whole pitch will be that they believe this is necessary. I don’t believe it’s necessary or in the City or school district’s interest.” Councilman Herb Katz said he was not surprised by the signature-gathering drive, but added that he was hopeful an agreement could be worked out between CEPS and the City. “They almost have to move ahead,” Katz said. “If they don’t move ahead, nothing happens. They can move ahead and then pull back. “I think we can work it out,” Katz added. “I think education is prime, but I think we have to sit down with the school district and come up with something we can live with and they can live with.” An independent grassroots organization, CEPS has supported two recent parcel tax measures to boost funding for the district, which has been hard hit by State budget cuts. The most recent parcel tax, which Santa Monica and Malibu voters approved
by a razor-thin margin last summer, pumps $6.5 million a year into the
district. |
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