If you
’ve been following the Morgan Hill School District Board
Meetings for the last several months you would understand that the
financial condition of the district is not very clear.
If you’ve been following the Morgan Hill School District Board Meetings for the last several months you would understand that the financial condition of the district is not very clear.
Financial numbers can change from meeting to meeting by millions of dollars. I am in strong agreement with some of the board members are now questioning the overall cost of the Sabrato High School which will approach $80 million. The school has an initial cap of 1,500 students that makes the construction cost approximately $53,000 per student and one of the most expensive high schools ever built in California. A number of other board members continue to argue that construction must go forward because that’s what the public voted for.
Personally, I voted for the bond funding because it seemed to make sense at the time. The generous gift of “free” land was an opportunity that couldn’t be passed up. Not long after the passing of the bond the wheels began to fall off of the entire project.
Many of the voters have now come to the realization that “free” land wasn’t really “free.” The district found itself in a lawsuit when the City San Jose determined that Morgan Hill School District couldn’t build on the “free” land. To move forward with the project the district would need to take an additional 27 acres by eminent domain to build the classrooms. Part of the settlement between San Jose and Morgan Hill Unified pledged to the district $3.5 million toward the purchase of additional land that wasn’t really “free” after all.
As the construction costs began to escalate that pledge has become just a drop in the bucket. In the wisdom of our last school board the decision was made to continue forward. Besides, the district had already spent nearly $10 million on site improvements without final state approval of the proposed high school.
At the last regular board meeting the district staff presented the trustees with a financial update through the 2006/2007 school year, which did not include a specific number on potential losses of state funding. I’m no math wizard, but the district administration’s own financial numbers lead one to believe that the district will in effect be broke by the end of 2007.
Here’s the big question. If you knew then what you know now would you have voted for the construction of one of the most expensive high schools ever built in California history? If you knew then what you know now would you have voted to bring the school district to the verge of bankruptcy?
Would you have voted for cuts in school programs? Would you have voted for a 75 percent remodel of Live Oak High School? (the district doesn’t have the funding to build a new high school and complete the Live Oak remodel) Would you have voted for a new high school for ninth graders to attend, when Live Oak could have been reconfigured for them at a fraction of the cost? Would you have voted for a potential for a special property tax increase to make ends meet?
Personally, there is no way I would have supported the bond if I knew then what I know now. If you agree that the construction of the high school needs to be postponed until the district is in a better financial position to move forward, you need to do something about this fiscal insanity now.
I have attended every board meeting for the last seven months. At virtually every meeting I have addressed the board about the financial condition of the district. I have been called a crackpot. I have been called disgruntled and I have been considered by a number of board members as only representing a “vocal minority” of the residents because I appear to be the only one who has come forward to question the district’s financial irresponsibility.
I would urge you to call each board member but their home phone numbers are not given out. They can however be contacted by e-mail to express your opinion. Contact information is available on the internet. Type in Morgan Hill Unified School District and the web site will have the contact information. Consider attending a school board meeting and make your voice heard during “public comments.” You can also contact me at Harlan_Warthen @ MSN.com. I will personally present your comments to the board. It’s important that you act now because the budgeting process has begun.
Harlan Warthen regularly attends school board meetings.Readers interested in writing a guest column should contact editor Walt Glines at wa***@mo*************.com or 779-4106.
