Re “A Terrifically Elevating Evening for Backers of Measure CC”
It’s strange how two people can go to the same meeting and see completely different things.
I was at the School District’s bond measure presentation at the Culver Crest Neighborhood Assn. meeting this week, and I am more convinced than ever of two points:
• We need a smaller school bond than Measure CC’s $106 million, and
• I will be voting No on June 3.
The best evidence for a No vote was offered by the School District’s presenters themselves. Seeking to bolster the case for school bond funding, Asst. Supt. Mike Reynolds distributed a news article about a new middle school building that was built this past year in Santa Monica with bond funds. The cost was $16 million.
You can read about this new school here on the Santa Monica district’s website, http://fip.smmusd.org/lincolnmiddle.html . If you click around, you will see nice pictures of the new building.
If this Santa Monica bond-funded school is so nice, why am I voting no on our Culver City bond? Because in Santa Monica, you can get a brand new middle school for $16 million. In Culver City, we need $106 million to fix our leaky roofs and plumbing.
The numbers just don’t make sense on this CC bond. Never have, never will. We're not building new schools. We're doing maintenance and repairs. For $106 million. This bond is too big, too vague, too flawed (you can read more here at http://noccbond.com/).
Am I suggesting we never, ever fix our schools? No, of course not. Our schools need repairs. I am, however, suggesting we vote no on June 3, and hope that the School Board comes back with a smaller, more reasonable bond in the November election so we can all vote yes.
Either that, or we can all move to Santa Monica where the school spending seems to make a lot more sense.
Here is the link to the online version of the Santa Monica Observer article distributed by Mr. Reynolds http://www.smobserved.com/story/2014/05/12/schools/lincoln-construction/469.html.)
Mr. Derevlany may be contacted at johnderevlany@yahoo.com
