School Bond Issue

Would you pay $25,000 for a sandbox? If you vote for the school bonds in Thousand Oaks, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. In fact you’ll be buying 20 of these sandboxes for a total of half a million dollars.

The Conejo Valley Unified School District is borrowing money (bonds) that will increase taxes owed by our children and grandchildren for 30 years. A basic concept of economics dictates that you do not borrow for a period exceeding the life of the equipment you are buying.

The district will spend more than $10 million dollars to buy air-conditioning equipment that has a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. That means that when half the bond debt has been paid, the district will have to borrow money again to replace the equipment. Bonds for air-conditioning systems should not exceed 15 years.

A homeowner would not take out a long-term loan to pay for ordinary maintenance on a house. It simply would not make sense to borrow money for a long term to pay for a plumber or a gardener. The school district will use part of the $97 million in bonds to perform routine landscaping, pressure testing of water and gas lines, painting, etc. Clearly, misuse of bond money.

Keep in mind that the school district is spending $100,000 of your money to hold this special election in April rather than wait for the June election. Their objective is to have a very small voter turnout, making it easier for them to obtain the necessary two-thirds approval. That $100,000 was paid by taxpayers to educate children, not to gamble on an election.

This year the state will earmark $31.7 billion, or 55.5% of the state budget, for education. How much is enough? The school district should realize there are many taxpayers who cannot afford the burden of more taxes. The taxpayers deserve consideration from the district.

JERE ROBINGS, President, Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers, Thousand Oaks

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Recently I have read several articles exposing deplorable conditions in properties owned by slumlords. I would like to share concerns regarding similar code and public health violations that have long existed in a well-known public building in Newbury Park.

It is more than 30 years old. On any given day it houses approximately 1,700 individuals who spend their day without air-conditioning when it is hot and without adequate heating when it is cold. These 1,700 individuals have at their disposal only 14 bathrooms, which lack stall doors and are so neglected that the best janitorial attention possible would never address the fungus, rust, mildew and clogged plumbing.

Would an apartment or housing development that listed such revolting conditions ever pass an inspection by code enforcement officers, public health officials or Cal-OSHA? I would say not.

I, ashamed to say, have just described Newbury Park High School. Ashamed and embarrassed as well are the students, faculty, administration and proud and involved parents who assist with fund-raisers--but building maintenance and safety are way beyond our reach.

Conditions like this should never have been allowed to exist for as long as they have, nor can they continue to be tolerated. The Conejo Valley Unified School District oversees the schools in the wealthiest portions of Ventura County, yet they say there are no funds to address these deficiencies.

Last November the citizens of our community voted down a bond measure that would have provided funding. Perhaps some who voted no are unaware of how badly the schools need repairs.

Please vote yes on Measure V and let’s have a victory celebration for NPHS.

BARBARA HARRIS, Newbury Park

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I wrote to The Times last November to stress the importance of the voters in the Conejo Unified School District not wasting the next opportunity to pass the school bond issue. I expressed my concerns should we sustain heavy rains this winter. Well, many of my concerns came true.

My children attend Madrona Elementary School in Thousand Oaks. Along with aging bathrooms and classrooms, Madrona has a roof that is 33 years old, leaks when it rains and probably should have been replaced eight years ago.

No, the needs have not gone away. Our school administrators are still left powerless by inadequate funding for major facility maintenance and repairs. We would never expect them to cut other scholastic programs to provide funds for repairs. Voters of this community can, however, resolve this by voting yes on Measure V on April 14.

DANETTE KWIATKOWSKI, Thousand Oaks