MEASURE E DOES NOT PASS
ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA -- July 6, 2009 –-The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk released the Final Official election returns for the Rowland Unified Special Measure E Parcel Tax and it did not receive the two-thirds of votes needed to pass. There were 52.40% (4,482) votes cast for Yes and 47.60% (4,072) votes for No.
Rowland Unified Superintendent Dr. Maria Ott made the following statement:
“On behalf of the Board of Education, I thank our parents, staff and community members for your hard work on the Measure E effort. Although we received a majority of the votes cast, we were far from the two-thirds needed to pass the measure. The support of our voters reflects their understanding of the impact of the State’s devastating reductions to education, especially to the schools in Rowland Unified. We will continue to stay focused on the important work of teaching and learning while implementing unprecedented cuts to our staff and programs. Public education is the hope for a better future in California and our nation, and it will take the efforts of everyone in Rowland Unified to stay focused on our mission to realize the potential of each and every child during this fiscal crisis.”
Rowland Unified School District will need to make more than $13 million in cuts due to the State Budget crises. Programs impacted will include college preparation classes, counselors, health/safety and security services, music and art programs and loss of teachers and classified staff.
A team of teachers, classified staff and administration has been working on a reorganization model for the District to plan on how to continue to deliver key programs and services with reduced resources.
The Rowland Unified School District is proud to serve 17,500 students at 23 elementary and secondary schools in the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry, and West Covina. For more information about Rowland Unified, call (626) 965-2541 or visit www.RowlandSchools.org.