Loading ...« Take this poll. CLICK HERE | Main | Poll Comments »
Feb 5th Study Group Meeting
By Tony | February 6, 2008
Take this poll. CLICK HERE
I know, John. I’ll make a new post replying to your post here. I was amazed at the number of residents with strong feelings. At a recent meeting that I attended, the residents rose up and voiced strong feelings. All of the feelings were in favor of “leases” the schools and NOT selling them. For me personally, the Little League and AYSO are the big issue since my kids go to Eader Elementary. Seaview Little League and AYSO fields being abolished just won’t due!! HELLO PEOPLE!
Mike Mailman(Seaview Little League president) brought 50+ players up when he spoke. Mike, you did a GREAT job voicing your opinion on losing Seaview. You brought chills to my spine. You spoke with one voice for all of us long term Seaview parents who didn’t speak. We are in this for the long haul so let’s stay together
John Gray (AYSO Division 56 Commissioner) also brought up some good points on the fact that the sale of the schools is a “TERRIBLE BUSINESS IDEA” and that the market is down right now. Thanks JOHN!
There were possiblly 150-200 residents at the Feb 5th study group so they shouldn’t say that they haven’t heard from enough residents when there were that many attending and www.SaveHBcommunity.com has 22o0+ signatures. The residents varied from Huntington Christian Parents to Seaview Little League coaches and parents.
When I heard Celia Jaffe (President of the school board) speak, her opinion seemed to be that she was “impatient” with the entire process. That was my feeling I got.
When Brian E. Rechsteiner spoke, he really had done his homework on this subject of the schools. He had a “Handout” for the board with many calculations of how much the city would receive if Brethren Christian’s commitment to lease the property of X number (I don’t remember how long they said) of years, with taking in to consideration 6% raises and inflation, that the dollar amount the city would receive at the end of the lease. GOOD WORK!
Topics: Possible Sale of the Schools |
So what did they decide last night?
I agree that Rechsteiner had the right approach.
I am friendly with Celia Jaffe and have a lot of respect. But I strongly disagree with her idea that the board’s priority is to do what they deem best for the district even if it’s harmful to the community. I the long run, if the community’s hurt, the district is hurt too.
For example, they are concerned about the impact of declining enrollment. If we eliminate our precious few play fields, why would young families ever want to move here? It will kill the community.
I think we need to get our city councilmembers to work out a deal to take over LeBard and pay the district an amount that makes it all work for them so they can meet their other requirements without selling a second site. Rechsteiner’s right, it’s four sites for the price of one. Maybe the district can lease LeBard to the city, or carry longterm debt for the city on a mortgage.
It is fiscally irresponsible for the Board of Trustees to build or relocate the School District office and Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Center (MOT) during the current budgetary crisis. The Trustees are not listening to the overwhelming number of citizens who have complained. They are intent on their “SMART” goals. It is time that the citizens of Huntington Beach provide their own goal. I suggest “TOAST”. TOAST stands for “Toss Out All of the School Trustees.”
Can anyone explain trustee Catherine McGough’s remarks regarding the Kettler site: “I personally would like to divest ourselves of a property that we can be certain will never be used for a school property again?”
The school is newer than the housing development adjoining it and is currently standing vacant. Isn’t the property usable–especially after recent the expensive upgrade, etc.? I would really like to understand what it is that Ms. McGough and/or the board finds undesirable about the site.
Thank you.
Good question!!! I have no idea what she meant by this. I will emailing her and asking her to REPLY here. Let’s see if she does.
What a terrible dissappointment tonights vote was. Too many questions are left unanswerd regarding plans for the DO and what EXACTLY they plan to do with the proceeds from a sale to the City. Selling a 10 acre site to be able to afford to move MOT which would allow Smith and Dwyer to reclaim 2 acres makes ZERO sense to me. Why not retain the 10 acre asset and redraw the boundaries to relieve the overcrowding in these schools? I hope everyone realizes that the fight for open space has really just begun. The City must hear loud and clear the public demanding the retention of this irreplacable open space.