Position on Building Additional Schools

By Gary C. Woods

I support building additional schools as soon as district enrollment and state funds can truly support this. There must be guarantees that existing schools will not be closed and dedicated teachers and district employees will not be laid off. The GUHSD Board is responsible for all the students in the entire District.

As a trustee my responsibility is to watch out for the entire district--not just to serve a special interest group of political agitators.

This is why 4 out of 5 Board members have refused to begin construction on a new school until the target of 23,245 students is reached.

1. The Board simply cannot ignore Prop U and start building anyway. The target of 23,245 students has not been met--at latest count there are nearly 2000 less students now than in 2008. Student enrollment is continuing to decline and will do so for the foreseeable future in East Country.

2. Our nation is in the worst recession since the Great Depression which means it will be years before education funding is fully restored.

3. Sacramento already owes Grossmont $58 million in IOUs that Grossmont will never see--and budgets have been cut to the bone.

4. The state matching funds for building a new school no longer exist--this fact cannot be ignored by a trustee.

5. It would cost over $1.5 million to operate a 12th schools--money that would now have to be taken from the budgets of existing high schools and would result in teacher layoffs.

Of course those who want a new school are outraged! No one could have foreseen this when Prop U was passed. I am outraged by the inability of Grossmont to build a new school due to politicians in Sacramento cutting education funding. I voted for the property acquisition, the site plans, the curriculum selection, even wanting to name it the Ronald Reagan High School.

I wish it were not so--but anyone who listens to the news during this election knows that this is true--and denying reality won't make it go away. The Board must do what is best for EVERY student in the Grossmont District. And right now that is not easy.