Crowded Schools Impede Educational Excellence

By Scott H. Finley

Our District is growing rapidly. In order to provide our children with the education they deserve, we need to plan so that adequate and safe facilities are available for them.

Facilities development is complicated by the fact that developer impact fees do not fully fund the cost of new facilities, and the approval process for school construction is long and cumbersome. The District has been planning for a new middle school for a number of years, and the electorate passed a bond measure to help fund its construction. Unfortunately, the needed remainder of the funding is controlled by the State of California. The process for receiving matching State funds from Proposition 1A (the Statewide school bond funding measure) has been politicized, and the District may not receive the necessary funding in a timely manner, if at all.

I believe that our children deserve safe and modern school facilities. Our District must take a leadership role in ensuring that the intent of Proposition 1A is upheld, and that our District, which supported for the construction of new facilities, is not ignored in the State funding bureaucracy. Our children are superb learners, but crowded and inadequate school facilities take a toll on the children and teachers alike and will ultimately negatively affect the children's educational experience.

I became involved in school district issues several years ago as a result of being a member of the District Housing Task Force. I worked to pass Measure K and am familiar with the alternatives that the District may have for funding facilities and meeting State requirements. I believe that my background is uniquely suited to providing leadership and guidance as to this issue on the Board.