2 Conejo School Board Members Assail C of C

Two members of the Conejo Valley school board, supporters of a ballot measure to raise property taxes to fund school class-size reduction, Thursday criticized the local chamber of commerce, saying it based its opposition to the proposal on “a lot of misinformation.”

The tax proposal, which will be put before voters in a special June election, would increase property taxes $77 per parcel per year for four years. The money would be used to hire 82 teachers to decrease average class sizes by four students, proponents say.

Ellyn Wilkins and Dolores Didio said the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce erred in asserting that the school district would receive a 21% increase in state funding during the next fiscal year. The district will only receive a 3.2% increase, the two board members said.

Wilkins and Didio also said that holding an election in June--at a cost of $40,000--instead of consolidating it with a scheduled election in November--at an additional cost of $100--will save the district money in the long run.

A June approval would mean the teachers could be hired for the fall, 1985, semester at a lower rate. If the tax were approved in November, however, the teachers would have to be hired at a higher salary rate for the fall, 1986, semester, the two board members said.