Submitted by Maria Simon
Mr. White wrote about the embarrassing situation that happened when a CHS Girls Basketball game had to be cancelled at halftime due to rainwater on the floor from a leaky gym roof. He called out district leaders to “fund a fix for this leaky roof now!” I share and appreciate Mr. White’s frustration. Wouldn’t it be great if we could fully fund our educational programs, staff salaries, and facility maintenance?
I don’t know if Mr. White was a supporter of Prop E (the June 2014 school bond measure that failed), but I expect there are many Prop E proponents who read his letter and are out there nodding their heads. They saw this coming. A chorus of voices who spoke in favor of our schools during that campaign understood that under the current state funding formula “everything” could not be sustained in the manner we expect in Coronado. Monies from the bond would have been used to improve classroom technology, student facilities and educational programs. The school board at the time realized that without the additional funds difficult decisions would have to be made – and the board decided to prioritize “people and programs” over facilities. While committing to safe and clean school sites, the board put education first. In fact, the CUSD Financial Guideline known as Board Policy 3050 (the framework used to make funding decisions) spelled it out quite clearly after Prop E failed. The final statement in the one page policy read at the time, “The Board recognizes that statements made in this policy deliberately prioritize student achievement, academic excellence, and workplace quality over scheduled long-term facility maintenance.” BP3050 has been revised a few times since then but the commitment to academics remains.
The fact of the matter is that tough decisions continue to be forced on us by inadequate state funding. This year alone we have had a flood and a broken sewer line, demands for air conditioning (luckily we were able to allocate funding for split system AC in a few of our hottest classrooms), requests for field turf replacement, and of course, the leaky roofs (the Silver Strand Elementary library and admin. buildings also need new roofs). The combined cost of just the roof replacements is estimated at more the $800,000. That’s a lot of money! I’d ask Mr. White if he thinks that money should be spent there? Or go to educational programs to support student achievement? Or AC to support student learning? Or smaller class sizes? Maybe the parents of elementary students in need of intervention or enrichment programs aren’t quite as embarrassed by our leaky roof as our high school student athletes and their parents? We are a big K-12 family with a lot of special interests!
Our community told us in 2014 to live within our means. As our facilities age and need upgrading we will finally be able to see what living within our means looks like. A leaky gym roof is frustrating and embarrassing. If students are using the facility it may be a safety issue as well. It is definitely a good idea to fix it. Believe me there are no shortage of good ideas to spend money in our district. In five years on the board I have almost exclusively heard only good ideas for spending money. What would really help are more people who had good ideas for increasing ongoing funding, and I encourage anyone with ideas to contact Superintendent Mueller. Meanwhile we will continue the challenge of sorting out priorities, seeking efficiencies, and making difficult budget decisions that are fiscally responsible and equitable to all shareholders in a K-12 district.
Pay attention Coronado. Not all districts in California are funded the same. In fact, the sad folks from University City High School Girls Basketball who drove 30+ minutes to compete in the game and had to watch our attempts to deal with our leaky roof actually receive nearly $1,500 MORE PER STUDENT annually from the state than we do. Multiply that by our 3,000 students and THAT could be a game-changer. Voters in their district have also passed multiple school bonds to support facilities. Coronado public schools are not adequately or equitably funded relative to other districts in the state or the nation. Thank you Mr. White, for giving me the opportunity to remind the community of our reality.
Maria Simon, CUSD Board Member
Editor’s Note
Related Links:
CUSD Budget Information Financial Facts for the Community
