School Bond Balloting

To those who oppose Measure V, an invitation: Come to Newbury Park High School.

You’ll see exciting learning and creative teaching. However, you’ll also see disgusting restrooms that are in need of refurbishing. Of course, if you stay all day, you’ll only be there seven hours, so maybe you won’t need to use them.

If you visit the library, I warn you to watch for falling ceiling tiles. Since the roof leaks badly, the tiles get saturated and fall, leaving gaping holes where the rain pours in. We do have trash cans and buckets in place to catch the rain; unfortunately, they make it difficult to get to certain sections of books--but only on rainy days. At least it hasn’t rained on the computers--yet. The custodians have tried their best to repair the roof, but after 30 years, there’s just not much roof left.

While you’re in the library, be careful not to trip on the rips in the 30-year-old carpeting.

Too bad you won’t be able to time your visit to occur when we have a 95-degree heat wave, like the one we had for nine weeks last fall. You’d certainly be able to understand why substitute teachers refuse to come to NPHS “until it cools off--or until you get air-conditioning.”

Without Measure V, all of these needs go on the bottom of long waiting lists. As NPHS librarian, I anticipate destroyed books, mildewed carpeting (remember the Thousand Oaks Library?) and perhaps even waterlogged computers as the leaks continue to appear in unpredictable places.

Our aging schools need these repairs now. Homeowners take out loans or second mortgages for costly repairs not covered in their budgets. School districts must float bonds for the same reason.

So, come for a visit; see for yourselves. Do it for your children and your property value.

KATHLEEN R. BONN

Newbury Park High School

Librarian

Newbury Park

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The school bond issue appears to be inflated. Taxpayers cannot afford waste at any governmental level.

As responsible citizens and taxpayers, we need educational leaders who understand that any waste of taxpayers’ funds diminishes our ability to pay for other badly needed benefits and services. The savings from such waste could be used for a “special” bond to support other needed services or benefits.

We need, for example, the savings on these financial resources to hire and maintain outstanding teachers. We need these financial resources to reduce class size. We need to train an army of tutors for children who require assistance.

Let’s not throw our limited tax resources away with the waste from an extended bond issue. Millions would be lost in unnecessary and irrational interest payments. We may want to consider taxing ourselves and avoid the millions that would be spent in interest alone.

Vote no on Tuesday. The district must become more responsible on fiscal matters.

We need long-range thinking on the Board of Education. Creating an endowment for future maintenance, repairs and projects would make the need for future bond issues less significant. For example, placing $1 million a year in a trust fund compounded at 7% over a 30-year span would provide the district with more than $101 million. The interest derived from that would be at least $7 million a year. State laws may be enacted, if necessary, to create endowments for school districts.

Recent debates sponsored by Thousand Oaks Citizens Action Network demonstrated a need for the school district to create an oversight committee of citizens selected at random and not handpicked by school administration.

Citizens want to trust their school officials but verification by an impartial citizens committee lends credence to the process. A check on public expenditure is responsible as well as good business practice.

JO TERRUSA

Thousand Oaks