Bond Oversight Committee rubberstamps
district bond spending & does not represent citizens
composed of citizens. The “independent oversight” the law requires to oversee
school bond spending has failed to reign in the District’s wasteful spending, as
seen in the Measure H Bond ledgers for 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18.
Our Measure H (2014) bond funds are being spent on lavish niceties for some
schools like the Wilcox $380,000 stadium sound system, as well as on salaries,
benefits and pensions. Bottled water, cell phones, cable internet, lunches,
conferences, and travel are also being billed to our bond monies. Taxpayers
have paid over $3,000,000 for design work to an architectural firm that is a
bond campaign donor (to Measure H and to Measure BB, including providing
facilities for phone banking), $75,000 a year to a contractor towater 20 trees,
and almost a million dollars to Office Depot for … what? (The ledgers don't tell us.)
All of this brings into question the choices the bond department is making and what
oversight is being provided by the "independent citizens' oversight committee",
the school board, and the district's bond auditor.
How “independent” is this committee and what “oversight” does it provide?
Are citizens truly represented by this committee?
Some oversight committee members actively campaigned for the Measure H bond of 2014
and are involved in the Yes on BB bond campaign efforts. Two oversight committee
members (who are supposed to be representing seniors and a taxpayers
group) are signatories on the Yes on BB ballot argument. That's not
providing the legally required independent representation for citizens!
The Oversight Committee then kicks its rubberstamp of bond department spending
up to the Board of Trustees, who vote to approve the reckless/wasteful spending
we're seeing in the Measure H bond ledgers.
Conclusion: “Independent oversight” = meaningless buzzwords used to deceive
citizens into passing more bonds.
