Parents Plead for City's Help in Funding Schools

In response to an appeal from parents at a meeting Wednesday night, the Agoura Hills City Council said it would work to find new ways of contributing funds to the Las Virgenes School District to decrease a budget deficit.

Speaking on behalf of parents of students at the five campuses in the Agoura Hills area, Kim Rodriguez told the council that the families are concerned that  increased class sizes and fewer school counselors would lead to lower levels of achievement across the board.

"We realize [the council has] already done so much to help the schools in the past," Rodriguez said. "We are hoping you will continue to partner with LVUSD, just like the nearby communities of Calabasas and Westlake have done.

"We would also like to be a part of the decision-making process during your ongoing budget discussions," Rodriguez said.

Mayor Harry Schwarz responded by saying the council has "always been supportive of the school district."

"We want to do whatever we can to support Save Our Schools and other fundraising causes," Schwarz said. "But you also must realize that we are under budget constraints ourselves. In our budget meeting in June, we are going to have to look at some cuts, in maybe law enforcement..."

Councilman John Edelstein asked Rodriguez if she was aware of how much funding the city has already donated toward education, referring to monies allocated through the city's Redevelopment Agency for school technology and the leasing of school land for the , which is "in excess of $1 million." She responded that she was, which is why she was asking for "continued cooperation."

Rodriguez later told Patch that she hopes the city understands the immediacy of the emergency. "If our schools crumble, so will our infrastructure," she said.

During the meeting, Schwarz  responded to the parents' plea with empathy but added: "Our first priority has always been the needs of the citizens of Agoura Hills, so we need to take a lot into consideration when discussing the budget in June."

Schwarz said that the city cannot directly gift the district with taxpayer money.

"We will have to look for other creative methods in which to funnel money, like through the PC Recycles program that was just approved," he said.

Schwarz was referring to an approved agreement for vendor services with PC Recycles for a commercial electronic-waste-collection program. Portions of the money acquired through e-waste collections will be donated to the Las Virgenes Education Foundation (LVEF).

"I personally approached the city for help as part of a four-city program to help local education," Agoura resident and LVEF Director Stuart Selter later told Patch. "We aid the district on a number of levels, to help the schools with both budget issues as well as enrichment programs."

"I love to see people active in our community," said Schwarz. "These people care about our children, and as a parent, so do I. We will continue to do whatever we can to help."