Despite living in a famously progressive region, Santa Monicans are not immune from the same political misinformation and disinformation that afflicts civil discourse elsewhere in the United States. As backers of Measure QS, we feel compelled to share facts and correct misinformation surrounding this school facilities bond measure campaign. Bottom line: the schoolchildren and teachers of Santa Monica deserve your support.
Fact: Measure Qs Is Not a Blank Check
Opponents of the bond argue, despite factual evidence to the contrary, that the bond is a blank check. Nothing could be further from the truth. Virtually all of the 252 school bond measures on ballots throughout California this November contain almost exactly the same, industry-standard project list language as Measure QS (“the following…are the types of projects authorized to be financed with voter-approved bond proceeds”).
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) has already designed, resourced, and permitted multiple projects that will begin as little as two months after the election, should the bond measure pass. (The full, prospective project list is on the SMMUSD website.) The first of these projects is at Grant Elementary School, which will provide essential transitional kindergarten space for our youngest learners.
Beginning next summer, projects will get underway to provide a new library and early education building at Roosevelt; a new classroom building at Grant, which will replace old, leaky, portable classrooms; a new STEM building at John Adams Middle School, replacing the dilapidated science building; and modernizing the 500s building at Lincoln Middle School, converting it into an eighth-grade STEM hub.
Plans are also underway for a new early education building at Franklin Elementary and a Student Services building at Santa Monica High School, which will replace the long overdue Business building. Calling this bond a blank check illustrates a lack of honesty and ignorance of the government-regulated facilities bond process.
Fact: “No Audit” Is a Lie
Opponents state that they would support a bond only if the bond program is audited first. Guess what? As required by state law, Santa Monica’s recent bond programs are audited, every year. Proposition 39 (2000) not only requires the creation of a Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC), but also mandates annual third-party performance and financial audits. These audits are presented to the Board of Education annually, have discovered no reportable negative findings, and are available for public view on the District website.
Opponents may disagree with the results of audits (or any other legally conducted civic process), but that does not mean the process or its findings are invalid. It is true that per California law, our CBOC does not have the authority to determine the projects; however, the District holds dozens of school site and community meetings as it creates the master plans for all school campuses, which are public record. Anyone who wants to provide input is welcome and has ample opportunity to give it.
Fact: This Bond Measure Is Widely Supported by Civic Leadership Organizations
The list of endorsers for Measure QS is far too long to list here. The bond measure enjoys the widespread support of, in part: Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association; Santa Monica-Malibu Council of PTAs and many individual school PTAs; Santa Monica Firefighters Union; Santa Monica Police Officers Association; Santa Monicans for Renters Rights; Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce; Community for Excellent Public Schools; and the Santa Monica City Council, including Mayor Phil Brock and Vice-mayor Lana Negrete.
Opponents list endorsements from some individuals and a few neighborhood organizations; virtually none of the neighborhood organizations took a public vote when the bond issue was presented to membership at their regularly scheduled meetings.
Fact: Halting All Project Development Now Has Serious Consequences, and Wastes Millions Of Dollars
Without offering an alternative for an acceptable audit (acceptable to whom?) or funding source, opponents propose defunding, for an indefinite period of time, construction and improvement projects that they acknowledge are important and necessary. The first and most important consequence of this defunding is that repairs and fixes to our school facilities – average age: 70 years – will be further delayed, and not have a stable source of funding.
The second consequence is that later construction will have significantly greater cost. Projects slated to fall within Measure QS funding have set budget amounts at current prices, and costs would already be higher if they are delayed. A $10 million project in 2020 would cost more than $12 million today – multiply that by the scale of slated
projects and the cost consequences become crushing.
Fact: Construction Issues Will Happen
Regarding construction defects, the opposition to QS betrays its ignorance of commercial construction. These projects, including school facilities, are large, complex, and subject to substantial regulatory compliance. Industry-wide, defects of construction impact only about 5% of a given commercial building project’s many parts.
In a classroom setting, 95% is an A grade. No audit process or oversight will ever ensure that there will be no construction flaws. Defects are never acceptable. The District facilities teams are aware of, and work to address, all defects as soon as they appear. Note that maintenance-related issues such as clogged toilets, sticky locks, or peeling paint are specifically excluded being paid with bond funds, by California law.
Our community is fortunate to have engaged and activist citizens who want to ensure the best possible conditions for our students, and our society at large. We have shared these important facts to support our community in making an informed decision. For the good of our students and the school community, we hope that decision is Yes on QS.
Casper Casparian, SMMUSD parent (Lincoln MS), legislation advocacy chair, Santa
Monica-Malibu Council of PTAs (SMMPTA)
Danielle Litak, SMMUSD parent (Roosevelt Elementary), VP Education, SMMPTA
Patti Braun, parent of SMMUSD graduates, VP Community Concerns, SMMPTA
Sarah Starks, SMMUSD parent (Santa Monica High School, JAMS)
Doug Hayes, SMMUSD parent (Lincoln MS, Franklin Elementary)
