HBCSD Corruption

THE DISTRICT'S DEMOGRAPHIC REPORT COVERING THE PERIOD FROM 2012 TO 2022 GIVEN TO FACILITY PLANNING AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN JANUARY 2013 MADE NO SENSE AND WAS LATER PROVED TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY WRONG**:

The Decision Insite Executive Insite Report dated January 12, 2013 was given to Facility Planning and Advisory Committee (FPAC) members at their first meeting in January 2013.  Decision Insite’s report projected 1,741 additional children in Hermosa Beach by 2022.

Decision’s Insite’s conclusion of 1,741 additional children in Hermosa Beach by 2022 made no sense given Decision Insite other demographic findings.

The January 12, 2013 New ExecutiveInsite Report findings:

1. The age trend in Hermosa Beach is increasing from an average age of 36.90 years old in 2000 to a projected average age of 39.61 years old in 2022.   See page 4, #3: Age Trends. 

2. The report predicts an INCREASE of older adults in Hermosa Beach over the decade from 2012-2022:   614 more people between the ages of 35 to 54; 750 more people between the ages of 55 to 64; and 961 more people ages 65 and older.  See Page 5, Insite #3: Age Trends (continued). 

3. The report predicts a DECREASE of 2,685 people between the ages of 25 to 34 in Hermosa Beach over the decade from 2012-2022.  See Page 5, Insite #3: Age Trends (continued). 

4. Yet, the report also predicts an INCREASE of 1,741 children in Hermosa Beach between the ages of 0 to 19 over the next decade.   What would account for a 1,741 increase in children in Hermosa Beach?  Would the projected increase in older people, ages 35 to 54, account for the projected 1,741 increase in children by 2022?  See Page 5, Insite #3: Age Trends (continued). 

5. If there were 1,741** additional children ages 0 to 19 in the district by 2022, HBCSD would have to build at least three new schools (approximately 500 students per campus) in ten years in order to accommodate all the new students.

6. Of the projected 614 person increase between the ages of 35 to 54 years old in the decade between 2012 and 2022 (see item #2 above):   It can be assumed that approximately one-half of the 614 people are women.  It can also be assumed that approximately two-thirds of those 307 women could conceive children; equaling to about 230 women total.  See Page 5, Insite #3: Age Trends (continued). 

7. The report predicts an increase of 1,741 children ages 0 to 19 by 2022.  However, since Decision Insite is predicting a DECREASE of people between the ages of 25 to 34 (see item #3), the projected increase in children must come from the 230 women in the age range of 35 to 54 years identified in #6 above.   Therefore, each of the 230 women between the ages of 35 and 54 years that could have children would have to have 7 children each in order to account for Decision Insite’s projected increase of 1,741 more children by 2022.

8. The Summary of School Aged Children Findings on the bottom of page 6 understates the significance of the evidence on the report; “Overall, children are aging through but there is some evidence that a resurgence of children in the younger years”.   “Some evidence” is an understatement here.  316 more children ages 5 to 9 and 262 more children ages 10 to 14 in only five years are not just “some evidence” it is a significant increase.  See Page 6, Insite #4: School Aged Children Trends. 

9. **Was it possible that the reported increase of 1,741 children ages 0 to 19 by 2022 was an inflated number at the request of someone from HBCSD?   Who at HBCSD hired Decision Insite?  What was that conversation like? 

NOTE: It is recalled that at the November 14, 2012 school board meeting former school board member Cathy McCurdy (2002-2006 and 2010-2011) spoke of having interviewed Decision Insite for the district.  However, months later, inexplicably, the videotaped school board meeting of November 14, 2012 is missing from the city website https://www.hermosabeach.gov/our-community/agendas-minutes-video.  Why is it missing?  The meeting minutes for November 14, 2012 were approved at the December 12, 2012 meeting.  Was there something that happened at the November 14, 2012 meeting that has been deleted from public viewing?    Was the November 14, 2012 meeting deleted to cover up Cathy McCurdy’s involvement with Decision Insite? 

10. At the January 2013 school board meeting school board members voted to hire Decision Insite services for district enrollment projections.  School board member statements can be found at https://hermosabeach.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=2188. 

At the 2:17:24 time mark, school board member Patti Ackerman makes the following comment:

    “I think that the facilities committee (See Facilities Planning and Advisory Committee) has a monumental task in front of them.  (The FPAC members had four meetings from January to April 2013 and were given a very limited mandate from the school board.)  And we have to make some very important decisions with our massive amount of students in the next several months.  The only way to do that, to make a logically informed decision is to get the best possible information that we can to make that decision.  I think that it would be a wise decision to use this software, its amazing what it can do as far as what each student lives where, as far as we need to redraw lines or move students to different schools or it would be very, very helpful demographically to know how old kids are, how many live North, how many live South, how many live east of PCH, how many live West, and the age of those kids. And that could be extremely time consuming for anyone to do so…”

NOTE: How did school board members use DI’s demographic information to “redraw lines” or “move students to different schools”?  Answer: They didn’t.  School Board members decided against creating neighborhood schools.  Instead, they created three commuter schools that catered to a particular grade level. Creating schools that catered to particular grade levels versus schools that served particular neighbors necessitated many students needing to be driven to campuses that were farther from their homes, contributing to more traffic during drop off and pick up.

11. There is no evidence that either school board members or FPAC members questioned the information presented to them by Decision Insite.  Did the supposed increase of 1,741 children in HBCSD by 2022 influence the FPAC members and the community that the district needed another brand-new campus?

12. Requests from the public for clarification of the January 2013 Executive Summary reported increase of 1,741 students by 2022 were not responded to by Superintendent Pat Escalante, school board members or Decision Insite.  

13. FACT:  Decision Insite’s next report, March 2014 Composite TK-8 Forecast, projected only a 31-student increase at HBCSD in the same decade between 2012 and 2022.  

14. Decision Insite’s Executive Insite Report of January 2013 reported the population of Hermosa Beach as 19,605 in 2012.  (FACT: According to the California Department of Finance, the actual population of Hermosa Beach in 2012 was 19,748.) 

15. Decision Insite’s Executive Insite Report predicted that in five years, by 2017, the population of Hermosa Beach would be 20,357: an increase of 752 people over DI’s claim of 19,605 people in 2012.   What would account for the additional 752 people increase in population of Hermosa Beach in only five years?   Where were the extra 752 people going to live since there were no new large housing projects planned for Hermosa Beach? 

FACT: The population of Hermosa Beach in 2022 was 19,171 a DECREASE of 577 people from 2012.  See page 2. Insite #1: Population and Household Trends. See California Department of Finance information: https://www.dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/Estimates/e-5/ 

FACT: As of Spring 2024, the population of Hermosa Beach has dropped back down to 2002 levels to 19,088 residents.

FACT: Since 2012 the live births in Hermosa Beach has dropped year-over-year and now stands at 100 less live births in Hermosa Beach than in 2002. Live births in Hermosa Beach in 2002 were 258 babies.  In 2022 live births in Hermosa Beach were 100 less babies for a total of only 158 babies born in zip code 90254.

16. Decision Insite’s Executive Insite Report predicted that the number of occupied households in 2022 would be 10,273.  The actual number of occupied households in 2022 was 9,130, a difference of 1,143 less occupied households than was projected by DI in 2013.