AREA VOTERS DIVIDED OVER SCHOOL BONDS; LAS VIRGENES' PASSED, CONEJO'S REJECTED.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

Educators and parents from two of the region's school districts worked hard to sell two similar bond measures on Tuesday's ballot - one passed by a remarkably comfortable margin, the other failed by fewer than 700 votes out of nearly 28,000 cast.

So, the Las Virgenes Unified School District can plan on using its $93 million bond issue to complete needed repairs and expansion, including three new campuses.

``We're going to start funding small projects as soon as we can,'' said Don Zimring, the district's assistant superintendent for business services. ``The first large projects will be one of the elementary schools and the new multipurpose room at Chaparral (Elementary School), and that should be within two years.''

The Conejo Valley Unified School District, meanwhile, likely will decide when - not if - to place another bond measure before voters after its $97 million measure failed by less than 3 percentage points to gain the two-thirds majority approval required in California.

``We've got to assess that,'' said Superintendent Jerry Gross. ``Our needs have not changed. We can't do air conditioning. Now that El Nino is coming, the roof leaks are going to be a real problem. We can't finish class-size reduction.''

The district must plan for maintenance and improvements that can be paid for with $104,000 in state assistance and $800,000 in district funding for the current year.

``So we're going to be in a Band-Aid emergency repair approach. We have been, but it's just going to get worse,'' said Gross.

The Las Virgenes measure provides the district with matching funds for $10 million in state funding for improvement projects, Zimring said.

The secret to Las Virgenes' success - nearly eight of every 10 votes cast were in favor - was learning from the failure of two parcel tax proposals that would have paid for facilities and more teachers, an issue that is always a tough sell. Preparing the measure required telephone surveys and community meetings to ensure enough voters would buy into the plan once presented.

Conejo campaign leaders did similar homework, completing phone surveys to determine what voters might pay for and identifying specific needs at each campus.

A major difference was what was offered on the ballot. Las Virgenes voters also decided two City Council seats, the district's school board contest and two Agoura Hills tax measures.

Las Virgenes school board incumbents Barbara Bowman-Fagelson, Judy Jordan and Charlotte Meyer will help oversee spending of the bond money as they retained their seats with solid margins over Bob Selvin, Rachel Shavick and Shirley Bass.

Conejo voters faced a Thousand Oaks council recall election that divided the community and at one point drew the school district into the storm.

``The voters recognize needs,'' Gross said. ``But our recall was a negative campaign, it was hostile, it was aggressive, it was all very divisive. I think the voters were in a bad mood.''

What both campaigns revealed was communitywide resurgence in support for school funding measures.

``What was really wonderful about it was feeling that the community was behind this,'' said Victoria Willig, a Las Virgenes parent who helped lead the campaign.

The $93 million bond measure will be paid off by a projected $29 a year per $100,000 assessed valuation on property for up to 28 years.