HBCSD Corruption

Proof of the lie:

HBCSD failed to report significant district-wide current and future projections of declining enrollment AND the fact that HBCSD had sufficient classroom capacity without using the North School campus in the Environmental Impact Report for North School.

At it's height in 2014, HBCSD enrolled 1,472 students. Of the 1,472 students, 13 students were from other school district's on inter-district permits.

In 2023, HBCSD enrollment was 1,339 with 174* students brought in from other school districts to bolster HBCSD enrollment. Students residing within the District only number 1,165. HBCSD now has approximately 1,908 student capacity. (870 student capacity at Valley School + 528 student capacity at View School + 510 student capacity at Vista School aka North School.)

*NOTE:  Although HBCSD was able to attract 174 more students from other school districts to increase it's overall enrollment, HBCSD can not bring in enough students from other school districts to use up the 20 unused or underused classrooms after rebuilding North School and enlarging View School.  There are no new housing projects planned for Hermosa Beach that would bring in additional students to the District.

NOTE: Letter to City Council members from Julie Nunis, dated February 10, 2015:

"Population ebbs and flows, using existing buildings could save the City money and construction headache if/when our beach population [of K-8th grade students] ebbs."

In 2023, HBCSD enrollment was 1,339 with 174 students brought in from other school districts to bolster HBCSD enrollment. Students residing within the District only number 1,165.

NOTE: Although HBCSD was able to attract 174 students from other school districts to increase it's overall enrollment, HBCSD can not bring in enough students from other school districts to use up the 20 unused or underused classrooms after rebuilding North School and enlarging View School. There are no new housing projects planned for Hermosa Beach that would bring in additional students to the District.

NOTE: Since 2014, the population of Hermosa Beach has dropped by 854 people.

(1) District Capacity according to the 2014 Facility Master Plan:

2014 District Capacity without portable classrooms = 1,146* students:

2014 District Capacity including portable classrooms = 1,554** students:

(2) At September 2014, HBCSD enrollment was 1,472 students. District capacity using portables already on HBCSD campuses, was only over capacity by 82** students.

See List of Lies:

Lie #19: Superintendent Pat Escalante and school board members claiming that HBCSD was over capacity by 500 students prior to the District's 2016 $59M bond vote.

Lie #31: Was the school board's February 2015 decision to egregiously overcrowd View School actually a response to losing the November 2014 $54M Measure Q bond vote and not about class size reduction funding?

(3) At September 2014, HBCSD enrollment was 1,472 students. District capacity WITHOUT using portables already on HBCSD campuses, was over capacity by 278 students.

See List of Lies #19: Superintendent Pat Escalante and school board members claiming that HBCSD was over capacity by 500 students prior to the District's 2016 $59M bond vote.

(4) At the April 10, 2013 School Board meeting, Facility Planning and Advisory Committee (FPAC) chairperson, Monique Eshan, stated that the district was over capacity by 270 students. Time stamp 27:04.

(5) At September 2015, approximately 10 months before the District's Measure S $59M bond vote in June 2016, HBCSD enrollment stood at 1,431 students. At September 2015, HBCSD, using portable classrooms, had room for 123 addtional students. 

See List of Lies:

Lie #28: Needlessly moving all 3rd grade students from Valley School to View School starting in the 2015-2016 school year – severely overcrowding View School 10 months before the district's next $59M dollar facilities bond vote. 

Lie #29: Misinformation and misleading information provided by Superintendent Pat Escalante to justify moving 3rd grade from Valley School to View School in September 2015. 

Lie #31: Was the school board's February 2015 decision to egregiously overcrowd View School actually a response to losing the November 2014 $54M Measure Q bond vote and not about class size reduction funding?

(6) By September 2018, before the Environmental Impact Report was accepted by School Board members in February 2019, and before the Covid pandemic, HBCSD total enrollment had dropped by 89 more students to a district total of 1,344 students. Without using portable classrooms already installed on HBCSD campuses, HBCSD was now over capacity by only 198 students.

NOTE: HBCSD's enrollment projections at November 2018 showed declining district wide enrollment through 2028.

NOTE: At September 2018, HBCSD did not need to build a brand new 510 student campus in order to house all Hermosa Beach students. Enlarging View School by an additional seven classrooms (7 classrooms x 24 students per classroom = 168 more student capacity) would created space for approximately 168 more students.

NOTE: Prior to rebuilding North School and expanding View School, HBCSD School Board members had spent approximately $133,000 renovating four classrooms at South School to use as District Offices.

NOTE: State of California Department of Finance demographic information projects declining K-12 enrollment through 2046-47 school year. https://dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/public-k-12-graded-enrollment/ Los Angeles County TK-12 grade enrollment is supposed to drop by 388,196 students by 2046 school year. Potentially many years before we pay off the bonds passed in the 2016 $59M and 2024 $27.8M bond elections.

NOTE: From 2014 to 2025 the population of Hermosa Beach has declined by 854 people.

NOTE: According to HBCSD Financial Statements from June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2025, the Measure S $59M bond will cost taxpayers $90,609,564 by the time the last payment is due in 2050.

NOTE: In 2024, HBCSD passed bond Measure HV for $27.8M. HBCSD is now in debt by more than $100M dollars. The $100M debt is in the service of a very small student body of less than 1,500 students. If there is an downturn in the economy will HBCSD and taxpayers be able to continue to pay off a $100M dollar debt?

(7) By September 2023, Hermosa students totalled 1,165*. HBCSD now has approximately 1,908 student capacity. (870 student capacity at Valley School + 528 student capacity at View School + 510 student capacity at Vista School aka North School.)

*NOTE:  Although HBCSD was able to attract 174 more students from other school districts to increase it's overall enrollment, HBCSD can not bring in enough students from other school districts to use up the 20 unused or underused classrooms after rebuilding North School and enlarging View School. There are no new housing projects planned for Hermosa Beach that would bring in additional students to the District.

NOTE: In 2023, without rebuilding North School and enlarging View School, HBCSD would have extra capacity for 37 more students.

NOTE: HBCSD used to lease out North School to Children's Journey for approximately $140,000/year (Not including South Bay Adult School rent). At the time, HBCSD spent an average of $4,098/year on maintenance upkeep at North School. Since 2017, when HBCSD evicted Children's Journey from North School, HBCSD has lost approximately $1M in lease income. HBCSD will no longer have an inexpensive North School campus to lease out. What company/business would want to lease a brand new, more expensive North School now? How much would a brand new campus need to be leased out for considering that it cost taxpayers $29M to build in 2020-2021? What will be the average ongoing maintenance (cleaning, landscaping, heating and cooling) at North School at it's rebuilt size of 17 classrooms?

(8) The December 2018 Environmental Impact Report for North School, page 2-423, confirmed that North School was being completely rebuilt for 510 students, but that the average amount of students that would actually be using the campus was 280 3rd and 4th graders. How did this make financial sense?