Measure V should fail
Despite declining test scores, acrimonious employee
relationships, and a looming takeover by the State due to fiscal
mismanagement, Aromas/San Juan Unified School District is once
again asking voters to approve a bond measure. Moreover, ignoring
today’s harsh economic realities, the measure proposes
multi-million dollar improvement projects at Anzar High and Aromas
School rather than a more realistic proposal that could help
alleviate the district’s financial crisis.
Measure V should fail
Despite declining test scores, acrimonious employee relationships, and a looming takeover by the State due to fiscal mismanagement, Aromas/San Juan Unified School District is once again asking voters to approve a bond measure. Moreover, ignoring today’s harsh economic realities, the measure proposes multi-million dollar improvement projects at Anzar High and Aromas School rather than a more realistic proposal that could help alleviate the district’s financial crisis.
Six years after building an opulent gymnasium at Aromas School and a Vocational Education building replete with a culinary arts facility at Anzar High, the district has recognized the presence of deteriorating portable classrooms at Aromas and the absence of a cafeteria at Anzar. Now, the district is asking taxpayers to contribute $18.8 million to address these problems.
External factors including an economic recession, unprecedented home foreclosures, skyrocketing gas prices, and rising costs at the supermarket should be enough to cause voters to reject this bond. The district, however, provides additional reasons on its own.
For fiscal year 2006-07, the District reported a financial deficit of approximately $600,000. As required by state law, County Superintendent of Education, Tim Foley, requested a review of the district’s current and future financial condition. The review concluded that the district “will not be able to meet its obligations in any of the projection years [through 2010] because of negative fund balances, lack of reserves, and insufficient cash.”
Student academic performance in the district is no better. As reported via the State’s Academic Performance Index (API), student achievement dropped last year in the district as a whole. On a scale where a gain of five points constitutes success, the district-wide API dropped 11 points. The API for Anzar High dropped 18 points while San Juan School plummeted 22 points. Only Aromas school showed a gain. In a display of egregious neglect, the Board has never thoroughly discussed, much less attempted to address this issue.
Not surprisingly, the relationships between management and employee groups are toxic. To date, the ASJUSD Teacher Association has filed four formal grievances against the district and submitted four Unfair Labor Practice actions. At the same time, contract negotiations for the coming school year have stalled completely.
Lastly, the bond measure is fundamentally dishonest. Recognizing that the proposed bond overwhelming favored Anzar High and Aromas School, the Board sanctioned a deceptive campaign strategy to garner support in San Juan.
Unaware of the fact that all friable asbestos was removed from the San Juan School cafeteria in the late 1980s, the Board manufactured a crisis and approved the removal of “hazardous asbestos” from the building as one of the bond projects. Citing a 2002 inspection report prepared by ATC Associates Inc, district Superintendent Jacquelyn Munoz informed the Board of this threat to students at San Juan School. The Board accepted this assertion without question or documentation.
In actuality, the report states that only non-friable asbestos is present in the cafeteria. Non-friable asbestos is dangerous only if it is disturbed. The report simply recommends that if any renovation of the cafeteria takes place “the materials be removed and disposed of by a certified asbestos abatement contractor.” The report itself, which is readily available to the public, was never presented to or reviewed by any the members of the Board.
For most people, it’s difficult to cast a vote against public education. Such a vote is typically portrayed as a vote against children. Fortunately, there is an alternative.
The ASJUSD Board already has plans to place a bond measure on the November ballot if Measure V fails. In doing so, they have provided voters with an alternative to supporting this ill-conceived, extravagant proposal.
Voters should reject Measure V and demand that a more prudent, honest bond measure be placed on the November ballot. This measure should focus on reducing the district’s long-term debt and making necessary repairs to portable classrooms at Aromas school.
Support for such a measure should not be offered without cost to the board and district administration. Along with supporting a greatly reduced bond measure in November, voters should replace those board members who have led the district to its current fiscal and academic crises.
In the interim, voters should demand the resignations of District Superintendent Munoz and Board President Leslie Austin. This demand can be communicated most effectively by the overwhelming defeat of Measure V.
Ken Halla is a former employee of the Aromas-San Juan School District. He lives in San Juan Bautista.
