Contact Your Legislators and Governor Re: PVPUSD’s Facilities Crisis
Last week, I had to sign a declaration to the State of California explaining why we deprived students of three days of instructional time at Miraleste middle school due to power failure. We have REPEATEDLY explained our dire facilities needs to the State legislature, and they do not care.
As I have explained previously, school districts in California receive the majority of their funding from state allocation of tax dollars. The state uses a formula, known as LCFF, to allocate money. PVPUSD receives the lowest amount of funding because we do not have a significant number of English language learners, foster students, students on free and reduced lunch, and other “equity” factors.
For facilities funds, in order to tap into state funding for capital projects, districts have to provide a local match. That local match is done by passing a local bond. Districts that have been unable to pass a bond have been unable to access capital facilities funding.
Long story short, this method of funding school facilities is inequitable because it relies on the ability of a local jurisdiction to pass an additional tax, and each district has a different limit for the amount of revenue they can raise via bond. We explained this in a letter from the District to the State, Goodwin Proctor and Public Counsel.
Most problematically, in districts like ours, where we have dilapidated buildings, failing plumbing, electrical, and heat, flooding, and other massive infrastructure problems, the State tells us we're on our own. They will not give us any money. I've asked directly, as I have written about here.
Why should ANY child in this state be forced to sit out of school due to facilities failure? Does it matter where the school is located? Local wealth DOES NOT translate into facilities dollars. Our kids are suffering because our state government does not understand this.
As part of his plan to cut the budget and address the multi-BILLION dollar deficit, Governor Newsom just decided, in conjunction with our legislature, to CUT SCHOOL FACILITIES FUNDING.
So, not only are we on our own for a local bond, but now the State’s matching money may not even be there. In the meantime, we can barely keep some of our schools open due to infrastructure failure. Your tax dollars are taken and reallocated to other districts.
For example, if legislators are able to convince their colleagues that a certain district is in need, somehow the State manages to cobble together emergency facilities funds. One recent example is the $250,000,000 gift from the State to Lynwood Unified School District for a new building.
But our elected state leaders, Senator Ben Allen and Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, told us that the State WILL NOT HELP PALOS VERDES. I believe it was Muratsuchi who phrased it as a "bail out."
We're not seeking a bail out. We are simply asking for functioning, safe school facilities for children using the tax dollars we pay in Palos Verdes. How much income tax does the state receive from the Palos Verdes Peninsula? Where is it going?
I am beyond enraged and at a loss for words. If you want to talk about what we can do to help our kids, please reach out. We need a wide range of perspectives and ideas to fix this crisis.
In the meantime, I encourage you to Contact Governor Newsom, Senator Ben Allen, and Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi. Tell them what you are seeing in your kids’ school. Ask them what they are doing to help our district. Ask them what we should do about Miraleste’s constant power failure. Ask them to step up and fight for us.
Contact Newsom:
Email: gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov Chief of Staff: Ann O’Leary, ann.oleary@gov.ca.gov 1303 10th Street, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 445-2841Contact Muratsuchi:
E-Mail: assemblymember.muratsuchi@assembly.ca.gov
Chief of Staff: Bryan Singh, bryan.singh@asm.ca.gov
District Office:
3424 West Carson Street, Suite 450, Torrance, CA 90503
310-375-0691
Contact Allen:
E-Mail: senator.allen@sen.ca.gov
Chief of Staff Tina Andolina, tina.andolina@sen.ca.gov
District Office:
111 Penn Street, Suite 101, El Segundo, CA 90245
310-414-8190
As always, this is just one lady’s opinion. I don’t speak for the Board and no one else speaks for me.
