Monrovia School Board: Should State Make It Easier for Schools to RaiseTaxes?

At its Nov. 9 meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/JGmKs ), the Monrovia School Board will:

~ Consider whether to support a proposed state senate constitutional amendment that would allow school districts to raise parcel taxes by a 55 percent majority rather than the current two-thirds majority. http://goo.gl/ert5O

~ Discuss pushing the state to stop cutting school funding, to provide a less-volatile funding source ("revisit Proposition 13 and the property tax arena"), give districts maximum local control, and pony up years of money the state already owes districts. http://goo.gl/DIwGD

~ Consider refinancing a loan, bringing the interest rate from 5.3 down to 3.3 percent and saving $380,000. http://goo.gl/lzZA9

~ Consider creating two new positions, a Campus Supervisor job ( http://goo.gl/sMmhT ), which will replace a discontinued job and save the district $3,400 a year, and an "Instructional Assistant-Special Education" ( http://goo.gl/c7uEs ) which will be paid for by an outside funding source.

- Brad Haugaard