July 30, 2008
School Board Members
Re School Bonds
As board members, your actions will determine whether the bond passes or fails. As you know, I have participated and advocated the defeat of the last 4 bond issues. If you continue for the 5th bond as Distaso and his followers are pushing, I will also participate in its defeat.
But, if you propose a bond that benefits all of the kids in the school district, I will actively support that bond’s passage. The values and terms of the bonds that you propose are reasonable. $25 per $100,000 valuation of property is reasonable, if properly spent for our kids. But, the specified projects will need be redefined.
$1 million would have to be allocated to each of the four schools, including the historic Acton School, and it would have to include new bathrooms at Agua Dulce, Meadowlark and High Desert Schools. All three of these schools are performing well and have about 1200 students who desperately need more bathrooms and modernization of their facilities. You cannot ask the parents of these students to go without, while supporting a bond for the failed Vasquez Hs,
The balance of the bond will then be spent on Vasquez, with a provision limiting the gym and sports facilities to a maximum of $500,000, with the balance spent on educational and administrative facilities, as well as bathrooms.
You also need to add the requirement that the school be built in conformity with the Acton Standards District, including the elimination of lighting that shines off the property.
The manager of the bond committee must be Max Duran, who is an expert in School construction, and he must have control of who the members of the committee are.
With these changes, I will fully participate and support the bond election. If you do not make these changes, I will forcefully support the bond’s failure, because you have made the decision not to make improvements to benefit the majority of the students in the district.
It’s your choice, vote for a bond for all the kids or be made the laughing stock of the state by losing 5 successive bonds.
Charles Brink