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April 27, 2011 in City
East Valley bond failing
As of the latest count Wednesday, the East Valley School District construction bond was failing, with 60.71 percent of voters rejecting it.
The $33.75 million bond would have renovated and improved Trentwood, East Farms, Otis Orchards, Skyview and Trent elementary schools and would have added 40 new classrooms and four new gyms. The district offices and the maintenance department would move to East Valley Middle School. That middle school building would also house a middle-level enrichment center and all buildings would receive a technology upgrade.
Despite the apparent failure, “the same issues still exist,” said Superintendent John Glenewinkel. He said the vote sends a strong message that the plan was not what voters wanted, but he encouraged those against the bond to stay involved in the process to help the district move forward.
The school board will hold a special meeting 9 a.m. Thursday to discuss the bond outcome and their next steps.
Glenewinkel also addressed the election outcome in his newsletter, which came out Wednesday afternoon.
“We must now change course. As a district with no capital funds to draw on, we are forced to use general fund monies to meet the day-to-day maintenance needs of our buildings. We spend $185 per student per year more to operate our buildings than the average spent by the 27 school districts that are similar in size to us. We are also operating all but two of our buildings at well under their student capacity.”
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DickAdams on April 27 at 7:23 p.m.
One would have to think the administrator bozos might catch on and the board might think about showing quite a few the door. How dare these administrators even think about a bond issue in these economic times. The voters showed them.
Visstil on April 27 at 8:27 p.m.
You’re name calling only proves your ignorance of the issue at hand. The bond was necessary to not only for desperately needed repairs repairs on the east valley buildings but to create a more suitable learning environment for the changes that the Superintendent has purposed. The failure of the bond only shows the misunderstanding of its purpose.
reservedparking on April 27 at 8:37 p.m.
The failure of the bond only illustrates the ignorance of the electorate - that they would allow Duane Alton and his ilk (who have no standing in the East Valley School District) to sway an election with their misinformation and inaccuracies.
DPort on April 27 at 11:02 p.m.
DickAdams - when should the administrators run a bond if not when we can access equal matching funds? Do you ever use a coupon at a restaurant for a Buy 1, get 1 deal? Same thing. We just lost out on a good deal to make our schools a source of community pride. It is our civic responsibility to educate our children and not with 50 kids in classrooms that the fire marshal will condemn.
greenlibertarian on April 27 at 11:19 p.m.
Screw the kids. Edumacation is vastly over-rated.
But do add, if not there already, at least 3 years of Chinese language instruction. I’d make it mandatory, but at least it should be there as an elective.
Gonna need it.
Jeff33 on May 03 at 2:32 p.m.
How does one man sway an election that much?
What inaccuracies were presented?
What misinformation?
Maybe the administrators should learn to manage money better before writing a bond and asking for money! who in there sane mind would approve giving millions of dollars to individuals who cannot operate a school district without overspending the money and misappropriating money? It is good that the bond failed! It is not bad that the school is closing. If there is room at other schools to move students into the classroom, then why was the school needed in the first place? If there is room in the classrooms now to be able to close a school and have a place for the kids to go then why did we need a construction bond in order to make the schools bigger. Maybe they should have wrote it for a technology bond. It may have passed then. but then again maybe all of the people in the East valley School district should have planned there own finances better so they could afford to pay for the bond that they denied.