By Donna Lacour

There are many important issues facing Moorpark schools at this time. This year bus transportation was eliminated for our high school students. I have concerns about the safety of students walking back and forth to school, crossing L. A. Avenue, carrying very heavy books on their backs. Students depending on the city bus have been late to school and endure long waits to get home, as this system is inadequate to service their needs. Was everything done to try to keep this service before it was suddenly dropped? Were there any other options that could have been offered to the community? As a school board member, I would support the reinstatement of transportation services to our high school students.

The residents of Moorpark Highlands were promised a school in their neighborhood. An agreement between the city and the project developer provided a means to purchase land within the development for a school. Measure R money was spent on engineering and architectural plans for the school. Recently, the district announced that enrollment trends are down, and it is unlikely that a new school would be needed in the next ten years. It is unfair for the residents to have to pay for land that won't be used for a school. I urge the parties involved to come together to modify this agreement. Ideally, a way might be found for the developer to provide some type of relief for the impact of the development on our schools, and the residents could be released from the burden of paying for school land their children may never get to use.

Giving the people of Moorpark the choice to support schools financially through Measure S was the right thing to do. Measure S will pay for much needed improvements to our schools. The school district has an obligation to the citizens to avoid waste and carefully oversee the expenditures of money should the measure pass. I intend to vote yes on this measure.