HBCSD Corruption
Fact 11
Fact #11:
School Board members were told by consultants that the gymnasium was not supported by taxpayers and should be left off the bond. Thereafter, the district's highest priority item, the gymnasium, was NOT listed on the bond description when it went to the voters in 2002.
(1) June 2002 – Survey of voter attitudes toward the district’s planned facilities bond by Evans/McDonough Company, Inc.:
First attempt at bond language: Slide 5: “To modernize, repair and renovate Hermosa Valley and Hermosa View Schools, enhance technology capabilities, construct additional classrooms and student facilities, upgrade safety systems, upgrade electrical wiring, plumbing and mechanical systems, improve the safety of parking lots and energy efficiency, shall the Hermosa Beach City School District be authorized to issue 12 million dollars of bonds at legal interest rates, appoint a citizens’ oversight committee, and complete annual financial and performance audits with no proceeds used for administrator salaries or other school operating expense.”
1. NO mention of building a gymnasium and changing rooms was written on the face of the bond for this voter survey.
2. Slide 18: District Project List Ranked by Voter Rating of Importance.
a. New classrooms/labs and facility enhancements, providing
additional interior gathering spaces, and expanding play
fields/replacing fencing/site enhancements are rated as low priority
by the school district, yet they are given top billing on both bond
descriptions on the June 2002 survey description and November
2002 ballot.
b. The gymnasium is listed as a Priority 1 item for HBCSD, but
considered as low priority by voters.
c. There is no mention of acquiring land in the district’s list
of projects.
3. On both bond language examples (June 2002 and November 2002), classrooms are given high priority and the gymnasium is not mentioned. While in reality the gymnasium is given highest priority by school board members. Was leaving mention of the gymnasium off the final ballot really an oversight by the school district as was claimed by Lance Widman? See also Measure J bond language cited in the November 5, 2002 information.
4. Slide 21: Key Conclusions: “Athletic facilities, specifically the new gym at Hermosa Valley, are not viewed as very important.”
(2) August 1, 2002 – Letter to parents from Superintendent Robert “Duffy” Clark, Ed.D.: There is no mention of a gymnasium as the primary goal of a new bond.
(3) November 5, 2002– 13.6M Measure J facilities bond is passed by 67% of voters.
Official bond language states: “To improve the quality of education, shall the Hermosa Beach City School District be authorized to finance classroom modernization; upgrade electrical systems to improve access to technology; make health, safety, and security improvements; construct classrooms and science labs; acquire land, and qualify for State funds up to $1,700,000, by issuing $13,600,000 in bonds, within maximum legal interest rates, with annual audits, a citizens’ oversight committee and no money for administrators’ salaries?”
1. No land was acquired by Measure J funds to expand Valley School.
a. Why did school board member list acquiring land on the final
ballot when several months earlier at the April 11, 2002 Citizens’
Meeting Superintendent Dr. Duffy Clark stated that Adelphia (aka
Spectrum) had just invested more than $1 million into upgrading their
equipment at the site and were not interested in selling their property
to the school district? See April 11, 2002, item a., HBCSD Citizens'
b. There is no mention of acquiring land in the 2002 Facility
c. In the June 2002 survey of voter attitudes, preliminary bond
language did not mention acquiring land to expand Valley School.
Why then was it added to the final bond language in November 2002
especially considering Superintendent Dr. Duffy Clark’s statements
at the April 2, 2002 Citizens’ Meeting?
d. Was the prospect of buying land to expand Valley School only
used to convince voters to pass the district’s bond with no intention
of actually using the funds to purchase land to expand Valley School?
2. There was NO mention of building a gymnasium and changing rooms on the face of the bond.
a. California schools are not required to have a gymnasium.
b. In the voter survey of June 2002 presented to school board
members only months before the election, the gymnasium was not
viewed as important to voters. See June 2002 Voter Survey facts.
See also Measure J bond language cited in the June 2002 voter
survey.
c. On the district’s list of items to be paid for with Measure J
funds, school board members listed the gymnasium as a higher
priority than classrooms however the gymnasium was not listed on
the face of the ballot given to voters.
d. The district’s Full Text Ballot Proposition is Exhibit B.
Exhibit B was not included with the Measure J ballot but included
in the Voter Information Guide.
e. The gymnasium is listed forth from the bottom of page two
in Exhibit B.
f. On page two of Exhibit B “Acquire property adjacent to
school to expand existing school facilities” is listed before the
gymnasium. It is believed that listing acquiring land before
listing building a gymnasium on Exhibit B would give voters the
impression that acquiring land to expand Valley School was more
important than building a gymnasium.
g. On Exhibit B AND on the face of the bond classrooms are
given top billing, so one might assume that they would be the
priority for HBCSD with measure J bond funds.
h. However, no net, new classrooms were built with Measure J
funds at either Valley School or View School.
i. If the gymnasium was listed as a top priority on HBCSD’s
items list prior to the bond, why was it listed toward the bottom of
the page and therefore implied lower status on Exhibit B? Were
school board members hoping that most people would not read
down to the bottom of Exhibit B? Were school board members
hoping that the position of the gymnasium on Exhibit B would
make most people assume it was not a higher priority over
building classrooms?
j. Why would school board members be so intent on making
the gymnasium the priority of Measure J funds anyway? HBCSD
had priority usage of the gymnasium and changing rooms at the
Community Center only two blocks from Valley School. Exhibit
K, Future Use of Pier Avenue School states that HBCSD students
have priority usage of the gymnasium for two hours/day during
the school year for practice and 10 additional days for
tournaments.
k. The 2002 Facility Master Plan projected the cost of the
gymnasium without changing rooms to be $4.08 million ($1.8M in
construction costs and $453,750 in soft costs). The final cost
of the gymnasium complex with changing rooms, two science
classrooms and library was $11.5 million. No net additional
classrooms were provided at either Valley or View schools with
Measure J bond funds.
NOTE: Why would school board members leave the construction of a gymnasium off the ballot twice – the first time during the June 2002 voter survey and then again on the actual ballot in November 2002? Was it a “mistake” if it happened twice? Or was failing to mention the gymnasium on the ballot the plan all along?
(4) November 2005 – Litigation brought by the Committee for Responsible School Expansion in April 2005 is settled by the Superior Court. All claims from the lawsuit were dismissed.
NOTE: The ruling states: “Neither the state constitution nor the Education Code requires that the list of specific school facilities projects to be funded through a bond measure be included on the ballot.”
(5) November 7, 2002 – School bonds approved in a landslide, by Robb Fulcher, Easy Reader News
1. “Hermosa voters overwhelmingly approved a $13.6 million school bond to revamp the city’s two aging public schools, build at least 13 new classrooms, acquire more land and build a gymnasium on the Valley School campus.”…
2. “The successful campaign was bolstered by a $27,500 war chest provided mostly by Dougherty + Dougherty architects of Costa Mesa, which has been employed by the school district to help prepare its renovation and expansion program, and UBS Paine Webber of Los Angeles, which is expected to assist in the sale of the bonds.” …
3. “Of the $13.6 million total, $3.8 million is to be set aside to acquire property now housing the Adelphia Communications cable TV company next door to Valley School. Officials have said they are willing to use imminent domain to secure property.”… See also the April 11, 2002 Citizens’ Meeting. Superintendent Dr. Duffy Clark stated that Adelphia (aka Spectrum) had just invested more than $1 million into upgrading their equipment at the site and were not interested in selling their property to the school district.
4. “The bond is needed “to completely bring both schools up to the current standards of construction and technology, and to build the necessary classrooms to handle anticipated growth in the district,” school board President Cathy McCurdy said."
NOTE: School board President Cathy McCurdy does not mention the gymnasium as the main focus of the bond money in this article.
NOTE: NO net additional classrooms were built with the district's $13.9M bond.
NOTE: School board members would ultimately spend $11M on the gymnasium and new construction at Valley School. School board members would also spend approximately $1M out of school district coffers to finish the new construction at Valley School.
NOTE: The district's $13.9M Measure J bond would ultimately cost Hermosa Beach taxpayers approximately $30M when it is paid off in 2030.