7-17-08 The Brighter group still demands all of the money from the bonds go exclusively to Vasquez High. Distaso still wants no limitations so all the bond money can go to building sports facilities. The community meanwhile still votes no on his plans.
But this doesn't help the kids who need things. And it certainly doesn't help the kids at educationally failing Vasquez High School. So what does it take to get 55% of voters to back it?
First would be a reasonable size and a $13 million bond with a $75 per year tax on a $300,000 home as proposed is reasonable
Most importantly is a specific list of projects in the bond language that can not be changed by the school board and that will help the kid's in all the schools.
1. New permanent bathrooms at Meadowlark to meet the state-mandated requirement.
2. New permanent bathrooms at High Desert to be within legal distance from the classrooms.
3. New permanent bathrooms at Agua Dulce to replace the deteriorating temporary bathrooms.
4. New playgrounds and cafeteria kitchen to bring Acton up to usable status.
Provide a total of $1 million per school to make these and other improvements in addition to the bathrooms, cafeteria, and playground. The balance of the money, about $9 million if there is no state matching funds or maybe $19 million if there is state matching funds, would be spent on Vasquez. Here is some idea on the projects:
a. The school district has negotiated a very good deal on modular classrooms for a dollar each purchase cost. These need to be installed at Vasquez .
b. Two permanent bathrooms at each end of the campus.
c. A multipurpose room that is desperately needed for the kids to eat in during inclement weather and other uses.
d. A cafeteria kitchen and food storage facility.
e. A media center and library is also needed to improve the educational quality of the school. As you know the Brighter group determined that it would be inappropriate to build the new Acton library near the high school so the kids could use it. The Acton library from an educational standpoint is just another joke of the Brighter group.
f. Various science labs and skills center facilities are needed.
g. A decent administrative center to run the school from.
h. Require that no more than $500,000 be allocated to fixing the gym so it can be used by the students.
i. Prohibit any other bond funds being spent on physical education facilities and require that all the money be spent on educational facilities.
j. Allocate $200,000 to bring Vasquez semi compliant with the Acton Standards District.
k. Require that the school board place Max Duran in charge of the bond utilization committee because of his extensive expertise in school funding and construction and the committee have none of the Brighter group members on the committee
By using the bond nearly exclusively on educational facilities, I believe it would get more support from the community than the crazed idea that "sports is the only thing". An educational bond would create a Yes vote, as the record shows the four time failure of the Brighter group's "sports" bonds.
I believe this bond for bathrooms and the class facilities for all of the students in the communities will pass and I will be personally standing out in the community with a clear vote yes on this bond.