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SAN MATEO (Map, News) - An unusual plan to change the terms of a nearly $300 million school bond without voter approval was given the go-ahead by county supervisors Tuesday.
District officials say a mistake in the language of Measure M, a 25-year bond passed by voters in 2006, has left the schools short of the $298 million in critical infrastructure repairs authorized by the voters.
Supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of authorizing the San Mateo Union High School District to issue and sell its own bonds. The district plans to issue longer-term bonds of up to 40 years.
Adrienne Tissier, the one dissenting vote, said she was troubled by the idea of supervisors inadvertently circumventing the will of the voters. The school board has a contract with the taxpayers, and the change in terms should go back to the ballot in November as an amendment to Measure M, she said. “I do believe the public is smarter than we give them credit for,” she said.
Supervisor Jerry Hill, who had expressed reservations about voting yes, said his legal questions had been satisfied.
“In talking with the lawyer, I became more comfortable and it became clearer that the cost to taxpayers would remain the same — we were still taking about $298 million,” he said. “The project list for the schools that voters approved hasn’t changed.”
Hill said the years homeowners would pay $16 per $100,000 worth of property would not be extended significantly, if at all.
With authorization from the Board of Supervisors, the school district will receive a better interest rate than if it issued the bonds without county approval, Hill said.
School district officials say the option of going back to the voters would cost between $300,000 and $400,000 — monies that would be deducted from critical infrastructure repairs.
Aragon High School parent Michael Loy, who spoke on behalf of the school district, said the other option of cutting items on the project improvement list would be disastrous. At Aragon, he said, the school theater has 300 seats for approximately 1,400 students.
The district’s plan to issue the bonds will now go before the school board in late May or early June, school board member Dave Pine said.
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Comments from Examiner Readers
9:29 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 22, 2008 re: "‘Tailor made’ bill could protect district from cuts"
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6:39 PM MST on Wed., Apr. 16, 2008
re: "Students may have lunch-money blues"
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4:34 PM MST on Wed., Apr. 9, 2008
re: "Exit exam leaves districts scrambling"
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3:17 PM MST on Wed., Apr. 9, 2008
re: "Exit exam leaves districts scrambling"
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12:45 AM MST on Sun., Mar. 9, 2008
re: "Exit exam leaves districts scrambling"
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San Bruno Examiner Reader said:
Article would have been more informative if you had included the Senate Bill Number. I found that it is SB1447
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Examiner Reader said:
If a high school student doesn't have enough credits to graduate, whose fault is it but thier own. I went to high school, had four years to fulfill what i was suposed to, and did. If you can't do what your asked (which is a students sole resposibility) than it makes sense not to walk. High school kids think everything is going to fall on thier lap, welcome to reality!
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Examiner Reader said:
More importantly I would argue that a child in good standing, with non-diminished cerebral skills who is unable to pass the exit exams may have been failed by his teachers and the school district. Should we be punishing students for their shortcomings? If the exit exams serve as proof that someone has learned enough to deserve a diploma then why not let failing students take it, and if they pass, give them diplomas. This is coming from someone who completely failed High School, took the GED without studying the phone book they have for that exam, and scored in the top 13% in the country. The common response I receive is: "well congratulations, your smarter then 87% of all the other High School dropouts out there, what an achievement". Guess what, GED scores are compared against High School graduates scores who have also taken the test. My point, Grades mean nothing, it's what you learn. Work smart not hard sums up my high school career. Make the diploma mean something.
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San Mateo Dad said:
don't ya think that not getting the diploma is enough? maybe they shouldn't get invited to any graduation parties, either.... It's up to the school (the district). My child's graduation is not in any way marred by letting other kids walk across the stage. Maybe we should have a separate ceremony for the kids who failed, and we can throw tomatoes at them and make them feel foolish. Am sure that would straighten them out, eh? [sarcasm intended] Kids who do everything but pass the exit exam have still accomplished a lot. Let's help them stay on the right path, instead of making them feel foolish. Isn't that a more important objective??
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Jack Kirkpatrick said:
"High school districts in San Mateo County will face a delicate decision of whether to allow students who don’t pass the state exit exam to walk the stage during graduation with the rest of their class." This is no delicate decision. If a student doesn't fulfill all of the requirements of the exit examination, they don't collect the laurels of family and class recognition or the diploma cover!
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