By Redaccion
[email protected]
The Ventura County Taxpayers Association (VCTA) finds signs that Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) is mishandling taxpayer money from Measure E by diverting cost savings from a solar panel project into the General Fund instead of using it for further maintenance and improvements.
According to the VCTA, VUSD is violating California Education Code 15282(a) by its handling of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee.
“What Ventura Unified is doing is causing the public to lose trust in the Board of Trustees,” said Ryan Grau, VCTA Executive Director.
Taxpayers voted to pass Measure E in 2022, a $434 million, 20-year parcel tax on property owners. Voters passed the measure to improve our local schools’ safety, infrastructure, and learning environments.
Measure E has a state-mandated Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee to ensure that VUSD uses the $434 million to benefit the students and families of Ventura.
In the first year after Measure E passed, VUSD purposefully violated its fiduciary duty and spent money on a project not explicitly stated to voters— a $40 million contract for solar installations.
The vendor enticed the district with a potential $14-million rebate from the solar purchase that would be available sometime after 2026.
When pressed by Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee members to commit the $14 million to bond measure projects, the Ventura Unified Board of Trustees refused.
Diverting cost savings to the General Fund violates the district’s fiduciary responsibility and public trust.
“Still, these are not the only troubling violations. Ventura Unified violated California Education Code 15282(a) by its handling of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee”, the VCTA said.
At the end of the year, VUSD removed Oversight Committee members who supported returning the $14 million to the Bond, a violation of the Education Code.
The Ventura County Taxpayers’ Association (VCTA) is a non-partisan 501(c) (4) organization focused exclusively on Ventura County.
VCTA informs taxpayers, promotes the wise use of public funds, opposes waste, advises public officials regarding issues of concern to taxpayers and recommends positions that best serve the taxpayers’ interests.
