HBCSD Corruption

The Misinformation:

(1)      What is Measure S? Posted to the HBCSD website, from approximately 2015 - 2016, HBCSD.org website: (TL- website What is Meas S) 

“The state licensing facilities requirements for private

preschools/children do not fall under the more restrictive Title 5

public school Ed Code criteria which is why it is not possible to

house public school students in the current North School facilities.”

COMPETING INFORMATION:  This is a two-part statement.  The first part is correct, the second part is incorrect.

A.      It is true that private preschools/children do not fall under the more restrictive Title 5 public school Ed Code criteria, but that has NOTHING TO DO with housing public school students at the current North School facilities. 

B.      HBCSD can indeed use North School as is for public school students.  North School is considered grandfathered-in as a school campus.  Therefore, North School is considered code compliant as is by the California Department of Education (CDE).   The fact that school board members and Pat Escalante may actually believe their own statement that North School cannot be used for public school students as is, is alarming and shows their utter failure as administrators of the district’s facilities.  Didn’t any of the school board members verify information before posting it on their website, reports and in informational meetings and before asking taxpayers to foot a $59M dollar facilities bond!?

C.      Title 5 does NOT apply to private schools.  Title 5 regulations only apply to public schools.   Title 5 regulations apply to new construction only, not to grandfathered-in campuses like North School or Pier Avenue School Community Center.

D.      A grandfathered-in campus is deemed to be CDE code-compliant as is whether it has been leased out to a private school or not.  Title 5 Regulations were adopted in 1993.  The CDE does not require that school districts bring all their pre-1993 school buildings and campuses up to current Title 5 standards.  If school districts were forced to make all pre-1993 buildings and campuses up to current Tilte 5 standards it would cost taxpayers billions of dollars.  (JM-23 Title 5 STANDARDS wide discretion)

E.       North School was a grandfathered-in campus built to Department of State Architecture strict Field Act earthquake safe specifications.  Both BCA Architects AND GKKWorks Architects provided estimates to renovate current North School buildings for HBCSD students.  (TL-2014 FMP NS reno cost), (TL-2013Feb06 BCA NS estimates), (TL-2017 Juge NS reno estimate)

F.       If every public school in California that had been leased to a private school could no longer be used for public school students, then California taxpayers would be on the hook for billions of dollars in public school building costs.  

G.      Both Robinson School in Manhattan Beach and View School in Hermosa Beach were leased out to private preschools while their respective school districts had declining enrollment.  When enrollment started to climb, both schools were brought back to be used for public school students with only minimal improvements/renovations made.   Like North School, View School and Robinson School are grandfathered in for use by public school students.  (TL-1993Feb25 article View School reopening)

H.      In addition, HBCSD school board members have no problem ignoring Title 5 Education Code standards when it is more convenient for them.

a. Keeping students in overcrowded conditions when both North

School and the Community Center were available to reduce

overcrowding.

b.      Holding two classes in the multipurpose room of both Valley

and View schools.

c.      Housing TK and K students at the newly rebuilt North School

(even for just one year) which only has classrooms sized for

older students, violated Title 5 regulations.  According to

Title 5 regulations, TK and Kindergarten classrooms are

required to be 1,350 square feet with attached bathrooms and

casework, toilets, sinks sized for children six years old and

younger. Classrooms for older students (1st grade through

12th grade) only need to be 960 square feet when built new.

Classrooms for older students have standard sized casework,

toilets, sinks, etc.  When HBCSD rebuilt North School (aka

Vista School) they sized all 17 brand-new classrooms for older

students, in this case 3rd through 4th graders.  However, the

first year that North School opened, school board members used

it to hold Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten students

from View School, while View School was being enlarged and

renovated.  Obviously, this wasn’t an illegal action by HBCSD.

d.      Another example of how school board members flout Title 5

Education Code standards is their decision to build the 2.35

acres (top of the sand dune) North School campus (aka Vista

School) to accommodate 510 students.  According to a letter

from the Department of Education dated April 11, 2019, the

newly built North School footprint is only 27% the CDE

recommended size for a campus for 425 students.  It is even

smaller if you consider that it was built to accommodate 510

students NOT 425 students.  The CDE recommends 8.7 acres for

425 elementary school students.  (TL-2019Apr11 CDE letter NS

27%)

(2)      Pat Escalante, HBCSD Superintendent (2012-2020):

Please see: Hermosa Beach City School District Measure S Informational Meeting, May 25, 2016, time stamp: 01:05:50  http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=4167     

[Speaking about North School at the May 25, 2016 informational meeting.]

“And so, um, you cannot put students back into that school.

Um, pub… [Public school students]”  

Mary Campbell, School Board member and President (20012-2017):

“Public school students.  You can put children there in a

private, private business.”

Pat Escalante, HBCSD Superintendent (2012-2020):

  “Yes.  Thank you.  Thank you for reinforcing that…”

NOTE: These are incorrect statements made by Superintendent Pat Escalante and confirmed by School Board president Mary Campbell in a public meeting two weeks before the Measure S $59M bond vote.  This incorrect information was also televised and imbedded on the HBCSD website under Measure S information.  Why hadn’t school board president Mary Campbell confirmed the facts she had been given by Superintendent Pat Escalante and done her own research before presenting incorrect information to the public and supporting a $59M bond?

North School is grandfathered-in as a public school.  Grandfathered-in means that it is deemed code compliant as is.   North School has always been used as a school even if it is leased out to a private business.  Both Hermosa View School (TL-1993Feb25 article View School reopening)

AND Robinson School in Manhattan Beach were leased out to private school operations before they were renovated in early 1990 and early 2000s, respectively, for school students.

NOTE: School board members Pattie Ackerman, Mary Campbell, Maggie Bove-LaMonica and Monique Ehsan (former chair of the Facilities Planning and Advisory Committee in 2013) all stood by as Superintendent Pat Escalante gave misinformation to the community.  None of the school board members corrected her statements.

Had school board members verified the district’s true facility facts before they put a

$59 million dollar bond on the ballot in June 2016?

(3)      Pat Escalante, HBCSD Superintendent (2012-2020):

Please see: Hermosa Beach City School District Measure S Informational Meeting, May 25, 2016, time stamp: 01:04:43  http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=4167    

[Speaking about North School at the May 25, 2016 informational meeting.]

“The very first thing that comes into my head and is the

most critical is there is no ADA access.  So if your disabled you

can’t get n that campus unless you come in, um, even if you come

in the back way, they can only access one, in one of the buildings,

so that’s critically important component.” 

COMPETING INFORMATION: This statement by Pat Escalante is incorrect.

A.      The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in July 1990.  ALL PUBLIC BUILDINGS ARE REQUIRED TO BE ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ACCESSIBLE.  If the North School is NOT ADA accessible, then HBCSD could potentially face expensive lawsuits.   There is no excuse for the North School NOT to be up to acceptable ADA standards. 

B.      North School is a one-story campus and has ADA access to each building.   North School also has three handicap parking spaces and one handicap accessible toilet.  (TL-2016Aug NS ADA accessibility)

C.      According to the 2014 Facilities Master Plan all district schools require some additional ADA upgrades.  However any lack of ADA upgrades is not considered a reason to either NOT use North School or tear down the entire campus.

D.      HBCSD school board members Greg Breen (2002-2009) and HBCSD attorney Terry Tao (2002- ) also used the need for ADA upgrades to try and disqualify HBCSD use of the Community Center.  Please see: Lie #7: Claiming that the Community Center AND North School are not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible.

(4)      Pat Escalante, HBCSD Superintendent (2012-2020):

Please see: Hermosa Beach City School District Measure S Informational Meeting, May 25, 2016, time stamp: 01:04:43  http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=4167 

 [Speaking about North School at the May 25, 2016 informational meeting.]

"Um, the other is that the, um, the um, the building has been

modified, so that whenever there is any modification to an original

structure, the State has to come out to do an investigation, and they

have to, um, the district is responsible for bringing it up to code

so there’s a number of things the electrical systems aren’t up to

code, the water fountains…”

CORRECT INFORMATION: Pat Escalante makes several misleading statements.

A.      North School is grandfathered in as HBCSD campus.  It is therefore considered code compliant and safe for HBCSD students as is.

B.      None of the North School buildings has had more than $40,000, if that, worth of modification that were not overseen by the Division of State Architect or that would compromise the integrity of North School buildings, so that they would require additional inspections.

C.      None of the North School buildings were identified by the Department of General Services, Office of Public School Construction in their letter to Pat Escalante on March 26, 2014 as NOT approved for District use as is. (Office of Public School Construction regulation 1859.78.7, Additional Eligible Utility Cost for 50 Years or Older Permanent Buildings.[1]  (TL-2014Mar26 OPSC letter & report)

D.      Neither updating of electrical systems nor replacement of water fountains would require the complete demolition of North School in order to upgrade the facility.  (TL-DSA IR A-22)

5.      Pat Escalante, HBCSD Superintendent (2012-2020): 

Please see: Hermosa Beach City School District Measure S Informational Meeting, May 25, 2016, time stamp: 01:05:21  http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=4167

[Speaking about North School at the May 25, 2016 informational meeting.]

[Same member of the audience asking this question as for the other questions – this person seems to have been a “plant” or a shill installed by the district in this meeting.]

"Is there a kitchen?  Is there eating areas at North School?”

[Pat Escalante]

“There’s not a cafeteria, there’s not a library, there’s not

a, um, it’s not set up as a functioning school.”

Please see: Hermosa Beach City School District Measure S Informational Meeting, May 25, 2016, time stamp: 01:05:21  http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=4167

COMPETING INFORMATION:   This statement by Pat Escalante is incorrect.

A.      North School has a kitchen and a cafeteria.   Please see the kitchen shown on the North School floor plan.  (TL-NS floor plan)  See also photos of the North School kitchen including a service bay for dropping off dishes.  (TL-NS kitchen) 

B.      Any room at North School can be used as a library.  This is no reason not to use the North School campus for district students.

C.      North School IS a functioning school.  It had been used from 1935 to 1987 by HBCSD as a “functioning” school.

D.      North School was only closed (aka leased out to a private preschool) in 1987 because district enrollment had dropped down to 620 students.  In 2014 at its high, HBCSD enrollment was 1,472 students.  By 2020 after North School had been demolished and rebuilt for $29M HBCSD enrollment had dropped back down to 1,200 students.  North School would be used temporarily by 3rd and 4th grade students who do not require a “fancy” classrooms or campus set up. 

(6)Pat Escalante, HBCSD Superintendent (2012-2020): 

Please see: Hermosa Beach City School District Measure S Informational Meeting, May 25, 2016, time stamp: 01:05:21  http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=4167 

“It is set up as a school from 1987, that’s remained as 1987,

with $15,000 year put into it to maintain it.”

COMPETING INFORMATION:  The claim of $15,000/year to maintain North School has not been verified by district documents.  According to Purchase Orders Over $500.00 information posted to school board meeting minutes, over nine years (2008 – 2016) HBCSD spent an average of $4,070.98/year to maintain North School NOT $15,000/year.  (TL-2008-2016 NS maint expenditures)  Rebuilding North School cost taxpayers $29M.