Capistrano Unified Has Started Another Bond Marketing Campaign

January 24, 2018 CUSD BOT Meeting Agenda Item #34 PRESENTATION FROM THE SCHOOL FACILITIES AND FINANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Board Agenda at page 697
Board Audio at 1:09:10
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Proposed Bond Timeline

PUBLIC CONCERNS

CUSD has $200 million in EMERGENCY facility repairs and maintenance that currently threaten the health and safety of students and staff.

Rather than use deferred maintenance funds to fix and maintain facilities, CUSD has chosen to use deferred maintenance funds to provide five consecutive years of across the Board compensation increases totaling over $150 million.

CUSD has just passed a tentative agreement with teachers that will once again will provide employees with a fifth year of across the board compensation increases. See: CUSDWatch: CUSD Reaches Tentative Agreement with Teachers

Now CUSD plans to ask taxpayers to approve a tax on themselves to fix the facilities that they have chosen to neglect for the past 15 years.

CUSD spent over $400,000 marketing Measure M it's $889 million dollar school facilities bond that failed in 2016. See California Policy Center SPOTLIGHT – CAPISTRANO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: District has Paid Consultants Over $400k to Promote Bond

CUSD is already spending money to market this bond:

The following constitutes an improper use of $88,300 of our students General Fund Money:

ICA 1718186 Fairbank, Maslin, Maulin, Metz & Associates $26,500 to provide public opinion research and strategy services

ICA 1718191 Performance Production Services $11,800 to produce four Superintendent "Message to District" films.

ICA 1718105 Daniel J. Edelman $50,000 to provide community engagement and strategic communication services.
See: January 24, 2018 CUSD Board Meeting Agenda at page 162

It is the State of California's constitutional obligation to fund K-12 Public Education, and that has always included facilities funding. The Fact that Governor Jerry Brown is choosing not to allocate a single penny to K-12 facilities in order to fund his high speed rail project does not mean taxpayers should be forced to step in and tax themselves AGAIN for a service the state is already constitutionally obligated to provide.

If CUSD wants to use its existing funds to increase employee compensation every year rather than fix and maintain facilities then let the District go to the State and ask for facilities funding that our students are constitutionally entitled to.

No Facilities Bond will pass unless the District is broken into smaller pieces so that under "Local Control" parents and taxpayers can ensure that the money will be spent for the benefit of students.

CUSD cannot be trusted.

Taxpayers should Say NO to any School Facilities Bond