Councilman’s Letter Prompts Protest In Dublin Sunday

DUBLIN, CA — An open letter to the community posted by a Dublin councilman Friday prompted a small protest Sunday afternoon. About 65 residents, including some students, who are part of the Dubliners United community group, gathered along Dublin Boulevard near the Dublin Crossings development. In the letter, Councilman Abe Gupta addressed the community and called upon the city council, mayor and school board to answer questions about the use of Measure H funds.

Gupta says funds for a new elementary school at the Dublin Crossings development at Camp Parks will likely come from Measure H and may deplete the funds eventually needed for a second high school in Dublin. The community is concerned with overcrowding at Dublin schools, including Dublin High School, which has currently has about 2,500 enrolled students.

In a heated school board meeting in May, the school board rejected a proposed location at the intersection of Hacienda and Gleason drives for a second high school. Measure H, the Dublin Quality Education and Overcrowding Prevention Measure, was passed by voters in 2016.

Read Gupta's letter to the community:

I sit on a City Council subcommittee formed to try to provide the District a school site at Camp Parks. At the last public city council meeting it was agreed that we would try to find a solution to give the District a school site. We continue that effort this Tuesday.

That said, land aside, the District has no money to build a new elementary school! The District believes such a school will cost $70 million to build even if they get the land for free. To me, that number is crazy, absolutely crazy. And here’s the kicker: the $70 million doesn’t exist unless it comes out of Measure H. Here’s the bottom line: if the District moves forward on this elementary school in ANY way, I believe two things will happen:

1. Money will be taken from Measure H. This is a betrayal for the voters who supported Measure H. I originally did not support Measure H. I changed my mind ONLY because the money was needed for a second high school. Every one who voted for H under the premise that it was going to be used for the high school should be justifiably outraged now. The fact is that school board members are causally commenting on social media talking about solutions. Working with the City Council to find solutions. Please this is not about finding solutions—it’s financial engineering—get money from the residents for a second high school, then use it for something else.

2. A second high school in the east will never happen.

In my opinion, the current situation is totally untenable and the residents deserve answers about what is going to happen.
There is no plan.

I am incredibly disappointed that the District is silent about their “business plan.” We all agreed to pay thousands of extra dollars every year in property tax assessments with Measure H based on the promise of a second high school. Fine, the second high school idea might be getting lip service, but make no mistake that allocating money from H to build a new elementary school is the death knell to a second high school.

If the District has no desire to build a second high school, they should honestly tell us that right now. Moving forward on a deal with the City to get elementary school land sounds honorable until you realize what it means for the second high school.

I believe every city member of the City Council, including the Mayor, should immediately go on the record whether they support a second high school or not.

Abe Gupta, Dublin City Councilmember

The Dublin Unified School District did not comment about the letter.

"As the Mayor of Dublin, I share the community’s concern to provide the best possible education for our students," Mayor David Haubert told Patch. "I agree we need a holistic plan that serves the entire community and I’m committed to working collaboratively with the school district and the community to make this happen."

The school board trustees and city council have not yet been reached for comment.

See Also:

• Resident Says Dublin Needs 'Strong Leadership' From School Board: Letter To Editor

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