County school board spends $288,000 on lobbyists
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

The Ventura County Board of Education is spending $288,000 to retain the services of lobbying firms in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

"If the lobbyists bring results, then it's a worthwhile investment, but if they don't, the money could be better used elsewhere," said Charles Weis, Ventura County schools superintendent.

County trustee Mary Louise Peterson opposes the expenditure because it's more costly than she expected, results aren't guaranteed, and she's concerned that some of that money will eventually be used to fund local political campaigns, she said.

Through the lobbying efforts, school officials hope to enhance the Regional Occupational Program (ROP), which is offered on campuses throughout the county. The state has a cap on how many students in each county can take part in the program, said Weis, and Ventura County's cap is lower than that of other counties. As a result, only 3 percent of Ventura County students presently participate in ROP classes, compared to 9 percent in Los Angeles County.

But there is a drawback to changes, said Weis.

"If you lift that cap here, the only way to fund money is to restrict funding in other places," he said.

That's why the county needs the help of experts, said trustee Dean Kunicki. The lobbyists, who were hired in April, are skilled in crafting proposals that will get bipartisan support without threatening larger school districts, he said.

The lobbyists will also seek resources to enhance programs for at-risk students served by the office of education and to help all school districts in the county.

It will take some time before they can produce results, Kunicki said, because there is no "instant gratification" in politics.

"We have to compete with larger counties that have many lobbyists and elected representatives, so we need as many voices as we can to lobby for us," said trustee Chris Valenzano.

"Education funds are available through the Department of Defense, labor unions and many other resources, so the best method for us to examine these opportunities is through lobbyist efforts," said Marty Bates, president of the board of education.

Local legislators can't employ all the personnel that would be needed to track all sources of funds available for education programs in Ventura County, he said.

"I'm convinced that we'll see a positive result on our investment," Bates said.

Most school districts and county offices of education depend on associations and legislative organizations to represent their collective interests in the legislature, before regulatory agencies and in the courts, said David Pollock, senior director of program development for the California School Board Association.

"In a perfect world, I suppose, local agencies could depend on state and federal governments to safeguard their interests, but that's not the way our government works," said Pollock, who also is a trustee of the Moorpark Unified School District board.

Therefore, local school agencies often need to employ lobbyists and attorneys to represent their individual interests as well, he said.

"Unfortunately, politics has become a pay-to-play thing, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease," Kunicki said.

The lobbyists are paid with funds originating from a broadband leasing agreement.

"It's brought in with a deal with a public corporation, not taxpayer money," said Valenzano.

"But it's a questionable use of a one-time windfall," Peterson said.

Ventura County alone cannot fight the imbalance against the Los Angeles Unified School District, she said.

"It's only through statewide organizations that we have the power to do that," Peterson said, recommending the county should seek grants to enhance local vocational programs because they are more likely to be available than earmarks.

Peterson also said she's concerned that the money provided by the office of education will find its way into partisan politics as donations.

"That might be the underlying objective for the use of this money," she said.