One thing is certain when it comes to a school improvement bond for the . There won't be a ballot proposal in June.
The SRVUSD Board of Education struck down that option with a 4-1 vote Tuesday night. Board President Greg Marvel, who made the motion for June, was the lone "aye."
However, a ballot measure for Nov. 6 is still on the table. But that's not certain either.
"In my heart I want to go in June. However, June isn't right," said board member Denise Jennison. "But I'm not ready to commit to November."
"We're not ready yet," added board clerk Rachel Hurd. "We have to make the case for the need of the bond and then the campaign... And I'm not totally 100 percent that November is right either."
What exactly the project list for the bond's project will look like, as well as its cost, is still unknown, which was a concern of the board.
The district has identified several projects that would encompass the potential $260 million bond. Major projects include a robust upgrade to technology infrastructure as well as network and wi-fi capabilities districtwide. Mechanical upgrades to heating and cooling systems, security and the energy efficiency of the schools are also possibilities.
Board needs to get its ducks in a row
June was struck down for a number of reasons by the board. The timeline to prepare for a June ballot was too short, which included public education on the bond itself and the needs of the district's 17 schools. A detailed project list was another. A solid cost analysis with "real" numbers was a third issue.
"My biggest concern is the estimates," said board member Paul Gardner. "In June, we might not have real numbers. We'll be over promising and under delivering... I do not want to under deliver.
"We need some time to make sure the public understands what's in this bond, and what we understand from the survey is that that public doesn't understand the bond."
The survey, conducted by EMC Research, to gauge the appetite for a bond measure.
The survey found that just 22 percent felt there was "great need" for more money for the district while 39 percent responded with "some need" and the remaining 59 percent felt there was "little need," "no need" or they didn't know.
The survey also revealed that 51 percent of polled residents would vote yes for a $190 to $260 million bond measure. And still 50 percent were in favor after they were told the bond measure would cost about $30 per $100,000 assessed value of their property. Parents were more supportive of a measure, according to the survey, with 62 percent saying they would support a bond measure.
If passed, this bond would be the third bond passed by voters in the SRVUSD in 15 years. The district passed a $70 million bond measure in 1998 and a $260 million bond in 2002. A bond measure in 1996 failed by just two votes.
Board stresses public education
Public education of the bond was an often revisited topic on Tuesday night.
"We have some dire needs and some needs that are hiding," said board vice president Ken Mintz. He said residents don't see the 50-year sewer pipes that need replacing or the district's limitations in technology and network infrastructure.
"We need time to educate so that the community understands these projects are needed," he added.
"The community wants specificities," Jennison said. "We can convey that need, but if we can't answer their questions, that hurts our credibility."
The board instructed staff to prioritize its list of projects and conduct a cost analysis of these projects by the end of April. "We should proceed as if it was going in November and if we don't, we continue to move forward," Hurd said.
Why Marvel advocated for June
Marvel, along with one resident to speak, advocated for the June vote.
"There are factors that say June is the way to go and there are factors that say November is the way to go," Marvel said. "But there are two things that drive me to June."
Marvel said he believed there was a reservoir of goodwill and faith from the parents and the community of the SRVUSD that would pass a bond measure in June.
"They've seen what we've done with their money. We've done a bang-up job and stretched every penny," he said.
He was also concerned that construction costs would balloon over the next years. The district has said a reason to go earlier rather than later are the historically low construction costs.
"I see an explosion in construction and it's only going to get worse," he said. "It comes down to a money issue. Something may cost $10 million now but $15 million in the future."
Marvel's points were moot, however, after the board voted down his motion.
The board did express its responsibility in determining action as soon as it can.
"We owe it to staff and the public to make a decision on whether we go in November or later," Mintz said.
Nov. 6, 2012, is the next date the board could put a school bond on a ballot. The district estimates an election in November will cost $120,000.
It's also not clear that the education of the future will be of the brick and mortar type, but more likely world class education will more fully levefrage "cloud" "on line methods created by better qualified instructors. I'd be supportive of spending on a competive system to the SRVSD that hires higher quality teachers, pays and terminates them based on performance, and takes full advantage of modern teaching methods (on line). Our students are being outclassed by their overseas competitors. We need to "think different", and not invest further in a failing system. The board is just doing the same old thing.
Bad bosses get fired same as bad teachers. For example, track coaches relegated to teaching high school health classes who play on the computer while their kids fill out work books get fired. I'm talking about "real life". Not life as dictated by the teacher's union to benefit teachers at the expense of children. It's crazy that people could even raise such a question. Our school board and school management are lacky's for the teacher's union. Teacher's union says "pay us for last years furlough days". School board says "yes sir right away". And tells parents that the extra paid vacation days (at a cost of about $2 million) are because our teachers are so deserving. Who in their right mind pays people for not working. Such a deal, the teachers get extra days off, and then get paid for them (although they have to wait a few months for the back pay). And of course no one even mentions that the kids are short changed the school days. I'm sure no one considered using the $2 million for two extra school days this year. Teacher's get their money, kids get their education, (but sadly teacher's don't get paid for doing nothing). Insane! PS...So when will we see the ACTUAL results on the solar panels.
2. Same guys want to borrow 10x the solar panels for facilities. How thoughtful do u think they are on this investment. 3. Why not spin off a few schools as charter/voucher schools not under the teacher's union heel. Then fund facility investments based on where parents elect to send their kids. Most likely the "legacy" schools would become more and more vacant. And OMG think of the "change" the legacy schools would undergo as their enrollment disappeared. 4. What's the effect of cloud/iPad. Like instruction on the need for facilities and low quality teachers. Consider a history class taught on line by a first rate teacher backed up with a day or do a week of TA time. Believe me, world class teachers in line are way more interesting than 2nd rate HS teachers face to face.
It's all about improvement. Any good organization scrapes off the bottom performers and adds with better ones. It matters not whether "everyone passes". It's about constant and unrelenting pressure to improve. Do this long enough and pretty soon you are looking down at Shsnghai, Singapore, and the like.
I'm sure that the board does some kind of sq fr per student extrapolation and come up with $250 million They din't think different. They w on't demand big changes. They don't see the ship as on fire.
Where else on the planet do employees go virtually unobserved? And basically unmanaged? Seems obvious to me, but what's the chance of the teacher's union allowing their employees to be regularly monitored. A minor facilities "think different" approach well beyond SRVSD to implement.
Investment in a competitive system will create the right kind of innovation. Parents will decide what works.
No dictator in America yet, but the educational system needed to support one may be.