Debating Measure F

AT ISSUE: Whether to support the $282-million school bond, which is on today’s ballot.PRO

I have been dismayed to read the prominent articles and letters in the Daily Pilot that express opposition to Measure F. I am a parent of three children who have attended Newport Mesa Schools for twelve years. I fully support Measure F. When I first set foot in my child’s classroom 12 years ago, I was shocked to see the dilapidated physical condition of our schools. Roofs leaked. Toilets regularly overflowed. Drinking fountains were unusable. I felt sorry for the teachers and students who had to work there. The condition was disgraceful for any school, but especially one in such a wealthy community.

The passage of Measure A has provided huge relief to our schools. Classrooms have new roofs, up-to-date plumbing and wiring, clean hallways and many other repairs. They are starting to attain the level of comfort and quality that any of us would be happy to work in. Teachers and students are proud of the improvements.

Measure F carries this work further, to items that remain to be fixed, including the Robins Hall Theater at Newport Harbor High. The drama department at Newport Harbor High currently is a vagabond group, performing wherever they can find a stage (and the money to rent it). Won’t it be nice for future thespians at Newport Harbor High and other local schools to have that wonderful facility safely open again. Our schools are a reflection of our values as a community. Our students are our future. I urge your readers to take pride in their community schools and vote yes on Measure F.

NANCY JACKSON

Costa Mesa

CON

Shortly after Orange County’s bankruptcy, I was asked to join a citizen’s budget committee for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Our task was to help the school board identify areas for budget savings. I was very surprised to find that more than 80% of the district budget was spent on employee salaries and benefits. Very little was available for books, supplies, technology, insurance, utility costs and maintenance. Maintenance is what typically gets cut to meet other funding demands, and that is what was done.

A year or two later, I was at a district meeting at Costa Mesa High School’s little theater. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the appropriate allocation of funds from the pending sale of the district-owned land next to the school. Parents, coaches and community groups were very vocal about the poor condition of the athletic fields at Costa Mesa High School. The suggested solution: Build more fields. This “solution” begged the question, “If there is not enough money to maintain what we have now, why do we think we can solve the problem by building more?” This fuzzy logic seems to have been accepted by the supporters of Measure F.

Years of underfunding maintenance came home to roost in 2000. Every school had a long list of problems. The proposed solution was Measure A: Raise taxes and fix each school. Key selling points for Measure A were that it was a one-time request and that in the future we would adequately fund maintenance reserves. I took the bait. I voted for Measure A.

Spending other people’s money can be very addictive. A new, longer list of education “needs” has been created. There is a “need” for almost every school. It is reminiscent of how the U.S. Congress gets the votes for a transportation bill -- keep adding “needs” to the mix until you have enough votes. Was Measure A the one-time solution it was promised? No. Has the school board kept its promise to adequately fund maintenance reserves for future maintenance? No.

If there is not enough money to maintain what we have now, why do we think we can solve the problem by building more? If you believe that a new football stadium will help the district find more money for education and maintenance, then vote yes on Measure F. If you believe the ongoing maintenance of a new football stadium will take away funds from education and other maintenance needs, please vote no on Measure F.

JOHN PACKER

Newport Beach