Monrovia School Link

Monrovia School Link ~ Number 153 ~ February 11, 2006

Is Monrovia ready to support a school bond measure? Apparently so. Also, a bit brighter outlook on school finances. That and more...
~ brad@sacklunch.net

By Maritza Diaz

This was a pretty light meeting. No one received any awards, which is a shame because those mini ceremonies inject the meeting with a little excitement. This time around we found out Monrovia has community support, a counsel is approved and more expulsions take place.

Good Work ~ Let's start off by recognizing the good work of student representative Roberta Smith. She has sat as part of the board for the last few meetings providing updates on the latest happenings at Monrovia High School. Every night at 7 on the dot, Roberta is there. Roberta also, along with other Monrovia students, was recently inducted into the National Honors Society. Congratulations!

Denied ~ The board put its symbolic foot down and denied the readmission of four expelled students and expelled another. Unanimously.

Report ~ Would you vote for a bond to help fix a Monrovia schools? Would you vote for the bond if you had to pay more taxes? Anne Nock, from George K Baum and Company, presented the board with the results of a community survey asking those questions. Survey says...

Monrovia has the support.

The purpose of this survey, conducted in January, was to assess the district's ability to pass a bond in the June '06 election to repair and upgrade Monrovia High School. The survey polled 400 registered Monrovia voters most likely to vote in the upcoming election. Which should be everyone, but that's not the reality. But that's another matter.

Nock said Monrovia had high numbers when compared to other surveys conducted in the past weeks. More impressive is that this support comes from 59% of the people that were surveyed who do not have a child under the age of 19 living at home. What, no kids? Remember, this survey involved "voters most likely to vote." Hmm, interesting.

Bond? ~ The board decided to use Stradling Yoca Carlson & Rauth Counsel to assist with a potential bond measure. Shaw asked good question. Why approve getting counsel before deciding to go for the bond? Well, Board member Bryan Wong shed some light on that question. Since it is a tight time frame to get on the ballot, by approving the counsel the board is privy to advice and has a guarantee that the counsel will be available. Wong gave his thumbs up on this firm and says he feels comfortable with the choice.

Revenue ~ The first financial projection for 06-07, based on the governor's budget proposal, looks pretty good. In fact, it is better for school districts in general. However the governor's budget does not address the lawsuit filed against the governor and the state for money owed in the districts for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 fiscal years. That's about $3.2 billion. Wow.

So what does this mean for Monrovia? Monrovia's cost of living allowance is going up 5.18% and there was a projected decrease of the deficit to 2.99%. All these numbers translate into a good monetary outlook. It's the greatest revenue increase in more than 10 years. But decreased enrollment (the district gets paid per student) put a damper on that increase. There was a recommendation to set aside some reserves in case additional staff needs to be hired or enrollment keeps declining. Save a little something for a rainy day. Not a bad idea. And remember, things will no doubt change and that will affect the budget, but no one knows how.

Another Task ~ The board decided to expand the duties of the district facilities advisory committee. The committee will try to find out how to best use vacant classrooms in the schools.

Good Luck ~ Superintendent Louise Taylor asked everyone in Monrovia to send positive thoughts to Plymouth Elementary and Wild Rose Elementary. You know, just because. Actually, this month they will receive the news of whether they are finalist to get the Distinguished School Award.

Read Something ~ Monrovia Reads is back and you still have plenty of time to sign up. Clear March 2 on your calendar and get ready to read in classrooms all across Monrovia. Show the kids that it's fun to pick up a book. Some applications were left at the district offices and you can also call Joanne Spring at 626-358-1952. Fill out an application! Read today!

Everyone will get together on February 22. Stop by, wont' you?

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