Vote ‘yes’ on Oceanside budget

Oceanside residents will also vote on Tuesday on the school district's proposed $128.5 million 2010-11 budget, which is 1.98 percent larger than the current spending plan and includes a 2.29 percent increase in the tax levy, the amount of money the district needs to raise through taxes.

For the seventh consecutive year, the district has managed to put together a budget that is below the county average, with per-pupil spending below the county median, while keeping increases low and maintaining all school programs and services — with no layoffs.

The district did this in part by bracing itself for an estimated $1.7 million cut in proposed state education aid and increased state-mandated costs, using its surplus "rainy day" funds to lower the impact on taxpayers. School officials maintain that they have worked with the county and other districts to find new ways to consolidate district services, one of many efforts to reduce costs.

The district even found ways to add a few programs, including new math classes in the elementary schools, an effort to continue to offer a rich curriculum in a district where 63 percent of students scored 3 or higher on A.P. exams in 2009 and 161 students scored high enough to be named A.P. scholars.