PLACENTIA : School Supt. Urges Cancellation of Fee

The superintendent of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District has recommended that the school board rescind a new $17-a-year maintenance fee in the wake of mounting opposition and the threat of lawsuits.

Trustees have called a special meeting for 2 p.m. today to consider rescinding the formation of an assessment district that would pay for the upkeep of school recreational facilities. The district was formed by the board’s 3-2 vote on July 23.

On Tuesday, four school districts in west Orange County rescinded a similar $50 fee because of angry constituents and the costs of potential lawsuits.

“It is more important for us to give up our assessment district than to divide the community,” Supt. James O. Fleming said in an interview Thursday. The board “feels it is in the best interest of the school district not to do it.”

School officials said that the district would have raised about $900,000 to offset the cost of maintaining such facilities as playgrounds, baseball diamonds and tennis courts used by the public when school is not in session. But many residents questioned the district’s attempt to impose a fee without the voter approval necessary to raise property taxes under Proposition 13.

“We’ve had a lot of supportive people, not put pressure on us, but say, ‘We really don’t think you should have done this,’ ” Fleming said. “They weren’t angry or threatening. Most were very supportive citizens.”

Trustees who supported the fee were reluctant to announce their vote before the meeting, but they said that it was time to reconsider.

“We don’t want to get into the situation where we’re damaging the district as a whole,” said board President Judy Miner. “We’ve had people say to us that they were supportive of schools, supportive of education, but not supportive of this.”

Even so, trustees who backed the new fee said that they still believe it is proper but that it came at the same time as the recession and increased state taxes.

“It may have been one of the last straws,” said Trustee Karin Freeman. “Citizens said that they are very tired. This is a bad time to be doing what we are doing.”

Although no lawsuit has been filed against the Placentia-Yorba Linda district, some trustees said that a legal challenge would be costly. Last week, property owners and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. filed suit against the Orange Unified School District, the first in the county to enact such fees.

Although Orange Unified trustees admit they are under intense pressure to rescind their decision to charge residents a $30 annual fee, they have made no move to reverse the action.

“The board voted to create the assessment district for the benefit of kids and the community and at this time the board remains commited to that effort,” Trustee Jeff Holstien said.

In an effort to pressure board members to reverse their decision, a citizens group announced earlier this week that it would begin a movement to recall Lila Beavans, John Hurley and Alan Irish, three of the board members who voted for the assessment district.