Dear Superintendent Garcia, President Horner and Vice President Northrup-Gadus,
As you know, the proposed bond measure resolution discussed late Thursday night, May 28, received only three affirmative votes. Five votes were required for approval.
Several of your trustee colleagues correctly observed that the district had not conducted sufficient community engagement regarding a new bond measure so they voted “no.”
This outcome should not have been a surprise.
For months, members of the public repeatedly requested transparency regarding any plans for a bond measure or parcel tax. Those requests were ignored.
Despite the absence of any public discussion establishing board support, the district proceeded to hire consultants and spend public funds on polling and related services. The district has not even been transparent about the total cost of these efforts despite Trustee Gardiner’s request for costs.
All we know (from consultant Dale Scott) is the polling alone cost $25,000.
On multiple instances at public comment and in my Feb. 12 letter to the Morgan Hill Times, I specifically urged the district to determine whether a two-thirds majority of the board supported pursuing a bond measure BEFORE spending taxpayer dollars on consultants.
Trustee Altman likewise warned that obtaining a two-thirds vote would be required to pass a Prop 39 bond.
Yet you ignored such warnings and instead wasted countless tens (or perhaps hundreds) of thousands of dollars that could have been used for teachers.
Unfortunately, this reflects a broader pattern. The district continues to withhold basic financial information from the full board and the public, including non-contract spending.
You violate the Brown Act with non-compliant agendas. You don’t comply with key provisions of the California Public Records Act. You deny the public’s right to add agenda items to the board meeting as provided in the Education Code and your own board policies. I could go on.
The failed bond measure vote was not the result of bad luck. It was the predictable consequence of pursuing a major tax proposal without first securing board consensus or meaningful public engagement.
Taxpayers deserve better fiscal stewardship, greater transparency and compliance with the laws.
Chris Robell
Morgan Hill
No, lack of community engagement did not kill a bond measure; Trustees Altman, Munson, and Gardiner did. And it’s clear that Morgan Hill newcomer Chris Robell helped them. As he kicked off public comment complaining about the superintendent and alleged laws the board is breaking.
These four individuals do not have children who attend our schools, but the parents who spoke out at the board meeting do.
I am a current Live Oak parent and am part of the School Site Council, and I asked the school board trustees at that last meeting to give us, the voters, the opportunity to decide on a bond in November.
As someone who works in tech and relies on data to make decisions, the data presented that evening was clear. And as a voter, I would have been able to read through the specifics of the bond proposal in my voter’s guide.
But despite this clear data, Trustees Nancy Altman, Rebecca Munson, and Pamela Gardiner chose to play politics. What are they on the board for if they are not advocating for our kids?
Voters should have had the opportunity to decide on a bond. But these three board trustees denied that opportunity and made it clear that evening that our students’ needs do not guide their decisions, but their own personal feelings toward the Superintendent, Dr. Carmen Garcia, do.
Let’s be real, this is not about “community engagement,” because there was community engagement when the district developed its Facilities Master Plan. It’s clear that for these three trustees, it’s not about what’s best for kids; it’s personal.
And for what? Who benefited from this vote? Not our students, not our teachers, and not us parents. Trustees Altman, Munson, and Gardiner, own your decision; take accountability. You put personal feelings over our kids. Period.
Trustee Rebecca Munson, you denied me the opportunity to vote on a bond that would have had a direct impact on my child’s education, but you want my vote for County Supervisor? Make that make sense.
Trustee Nancy Altman, you worked at the new Britton campus renovated with bond money, but denied the students and teachers of P.A. Walsh, San Martin Gwinn, and Live Oak that same opportunity. Good for me but not for thee?
Trustee Gardiner, why are you even on the board? We sat through 10 painful minutes of you complaining how links were broken. Unable to clearly identify where and which links you were denied access. Distraction or lack of preparation – write the links on agenda.
You three and Chris Robell do not sit in the bleachers at our softball field; you do not have children who have to sit in desks that are 20 years old, or learn in 40-year-old portables, or drink from a water fountain that was installed in the 1960s. And yet, you made sure that our kids would continue to learn in these dilapidated facilities because your hatred of Dr. Garcia outweighs your commitment to our students and teachers.
I suppose my daughter was right when she told me right before my public comment, “Mommy, they don’t care about our classrooms.”
Angela Herrera
Long-time Morgan Hill Resident