On the Road
Sports
Minivans stage a comeback.
Panthers can’t keep pace with Gators.
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www.losaltosonline.com Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Community news for Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View since 1947
Budgeting for the future
Vol. 65 No. 6 • 50 cents
City fights ex-student’s lawsuit
Local school district officials grapple with a difficult financial process
By Elliott Burr
Town Crier Staff Writer
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photos by Elliott Burr/Town Crier
Covington first-grader Tony Jin, above, listens to his teacher’s instructions for a math problem. Los Altos School District Superintendent Jeff Baier, below left, and Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Randy Kenyon pore over budget documents. The district faces a $4.7 million budget deficit annually through 2016.
By Traci Newell
Town Crier Staff Writer
O
ver the next few months, expect to hear and read about local school districts struggling to balance budgets that a state strapped for cash will surely slash. The Los Altos School District is especially vulnerable, facing a larger
deficit than the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District. But how much do residents really understand about why and how school officials make such cuts? The budget process can be complicated to comprehend, particularly when deep cuts are involved. See BUDGET, Page 6
Full steam ahead for new $193 LASD parcel tax By Traci Newell
Town Crier Staff Writer
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pproximately 40 volunteers gathered last week to kick off the official campaign for the Los Altos School District’s measure that asks voters to approve an additional $193 in parcel-tax fees. The measure is slated for the May 3 all-mail ballot.
In an effort to provide a bridge during the dip in the economy, the district’s board of trustees voted unanimously Jan. 31 to approve the parcel-tax measure, which includes a senior exemption. If passed, the additional tax would last six years. “Our schools do an excellent job of providing a top-quality education for our children,”
Board President Bill Cooper said. “Unfortunately, the past few years have shown us that we can’t Cooper rely on state funding for our local schools. We need an additional, stable source of funding to help retain
our highly qualified teachers and keep our schools strong.” Parcel taxes provide school districts with funding that cannot be appropriated by the state. If 67 percent of voters approve the parcel tax, the measure would subsidize books and classroom materials, retaining teachers and preserving See TAX, Page 22
ity and high school district officials head to trial Monday to defend a false-arrest lawsuit filed in 2007 on behalf of a former Los Altos High School student. Police arrested then-freshman Cesar Enciso in February 2006 for suspected drug use on campus. According to court documents, Enciso claims he was sick, not drunk or high, when an officer and school Enciso administrators interrogated him in the school office. To prove his innocence, he agreed to a drug test, which proved negative. The prosecution claims that Enciso’s arrest lacked probable cause, while the defense maintains the officer acted lawfully. According to her deposition, the arresting officer, Los Altos Police Detective Susan Anderson, a school resource officer at the time, explained to Enciso that because he was a minor, he would have to be arrested before taking the drug test. Enciso alleges Anderson didn’t warn him of the imminent arrest before “kicking” his legs apart, cuffing him and taking him into custody. While Enciso – who, according to court documents, had no history of disciplinary action – alleged false arrest, invasion of privacy, battery and emotional distress, Los Altos See LAWSUIT, Page 5