Poor Board and District planning hurts our kids' educations

By Paul F. Diffley, III

Lack of proper planning for the second high school, misuse and lack of proper developer fees cut programs and hurt our kids's futures.

Why has the Board avoided looking at other properties, even after citizen pleas to reconsider. Other possible sites included Murrieta Hot Springs, Clinton Keith, Washington at Guava, and others. Several were flat, grazing lands void of any significant crittur problems, with roads and utilities already in.

The Board knew about ecological problems with the Los Alamos Hills (LAH) site more than six years ago. That site was on the general plan from 1991. Yet they persisted with the one site, which had no roads whatsoever, no water, gas, electricity or other utilities. You, the taxpayer, are paying over $20 million just to install this infrastructure for the LAH site! That's money that could have gone directly into the new high school. What a waste!

Considering the time-consuming process of dealing with county, state and federal environmental laws, doesn't it seem reasonable to have another, easier site to build upon, leaving the LAH land until a third high school is built?

The city council claims it was the main source of pressure towards the Board to pick the LAH site for the second school. That is nonsense! If the city could exert that much pressure on the Board, then why didn't the Board select the city hall site for the 9.5 million District Office?

The truth is, the Board must take full responsibility for all the poor decisions it makes. They cannot point the finger at the city, saying "They made us do it."

The Board and the District office are both responsible for the long process which, in the end, gave our kids only a 1/3 high school with portables. Who knows when the other 2/3rds will be built? Who will send their students to partake of a watered-down curriculum?

Developer fees are much lower than Temecula's. Since state money has dried up, Temecula has raised its developer fees to 100%. Why has Murrieta not done the same? Could it be that the president of the Board, developer Austin Linsley, has led the battle to keep developers' fees purposely low?

There were over 9 million in developer's fees at the start of this year. Where have these been spent, and why not use these to help complete the partial high school? Where has the money gone?

A palatial 9.5 million District office is being readied for completion. This money comes out of the general fund, the textbooks, pencils and supply fund. Temecula and Menifee school district offices are still in portables, less comfortable than our District's leased offices.

Why does our District spend 9.5 million when everyone of our kids is crammed into tight campuses? This smacks of bad timing at the very least, and of a disregard for our students at the most.

Poor use of funds seems to be a continuing problem. We've had 3 business managers in 3 years. Why? Mismanagement caused a 17% cutback in textbooks this year. Why? That same mismanagement caused a 20% cut in all classroom funds, eliminated elementary aides and some custodial care.

Why do we cut programs and people when the District and the Board have made the mistake? Is this how the District accepts responsibility? Who, then, is watching out for the kids and their education? Not the District nor the Board, it appears.