Schools forum proved useful

I received a real education from Monday night's Pleasant Valley School Board candidates forum.

I learned that proponents of unification believe it brings an additional $6 million to our schools. I learned from Ms. Miller that our Keight budget is $50 million annually, of which 85 percent is salaries. I learned that we have some of the lowest-paid teachers around and we need to raise those salaries. And we need to fund more programs in our schools because enrichment programs have already been cut drastically.

All this was agreed upon by the unification trio, Speakman, Miller and Lerner.

So, it takes $50 million to run the K-eight schools we have. Add in Camarillo High; add the new high school some claim Oxnard has no intention to build but we desperately need to ease the overcrowding unification will cause; add an increase to teachers' salaries (K-eight plus nine-12); and add enrichment programs.

Now, I'm no financial planner, but how can we do all this for $6 million? And Dr. Stephenson pointed out that $6 million may really only be $3.5 million. Mr. Alamillo pointed out, citing a county study, that the new unified district could only provide salaries comparable to Oxnard "in a limited manner but with the risk of fiscal instability."

Pro-unification headline: $6 million in new money for our schools.

Ignored: Oh, by the way, that's probably not enough to cover all the new costs we'll be saddled with.

Who's going to pay the difference?

We do not need shortsighted, single agenda board members who rush to judgment and pander to emotion and bias. We need objective, qualified leadership, people who care enough about our kids and our schools to take the time to ask unpopular questions and get the right result.

I'm supporting Dr. Stephenson and Mr. Alamillo. Kimberly Gonzales Camarillo