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The Hi-Desert Star's View: Vote yes on Measure O
Measure O is about helping our young people and, through them, helping ourselves.
The bond measure, put on the ballot by the Morongo Unified School District trustees, would allow the local school district to borrow $48 million to repair and renovate each public school in the Morongo Basin.
With plans for big housing developments and new employers increasing every day, no one can doubt that without the money to build more classrooms, local schools will soon be stretched to the breaking point.
The more people move into the Basin, the more students will enroll in our public schools. More students means not only more classrooms, but more cafeteria space, more bathrooms, more library space, more equipment - more of just about everything.
Today, many of our schools are hopelessly outdated and rely to a frightening degree on portable classrooms.
You can only imagine what will happen in the future without money to improve the local schools.
You might think the State of California will pay for needed expansions to schools. That was the case once upon a time, but today, it's more of a fairy tale.
The state government will pay only a percentage of the money needed for new facilities.
The Morongo Unified School District is left to foot the rest of the bill - or else leave local children to flounder in sub-standard classrooms with dated safety features, expensive cooling and heating systems and over-used facilities.
That's why we at Hi-Desert Publishing Company are throwing our support behind Measure O.
One of the best parts of this bond issue: Measure O has a well-defined goal and a specific list of items to be accomplished with the money that will be raised.
MUSD officials already have compiled a detailed list of all the projects that need to be completed at all the public schools in the Morongo Basin. This bond issue isn't a spur-of-the-moment idea without a plan to back it up. We have seen MUSD's book-sized list of projects and we can assure our readers, it is comprehensive and thoroughly planned out.
A short version of the list is even attached to the board of trustees' resolution approving the bond. That resolution also includes a requirement that a citizens' oversight panel be formed to monitor the spending of the money.
Voters are assured the money from Measure O will pay for what supporters say it will.
The language is built right into the resolution: “Proceeds of the bonds shall be used only for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or replacement of school facilities.”
How could you vote against that?
Furthermore, Measure O money can be used as leverage to obtain even more money from state grants, money which will not be available to the school district without local matching funds.
This measure is good not only for children and their parents, but also for business people and everyone else who lives in the Hi-Desert.
The children who will benefit from the facilities paid for by Measure O are the employees, parents and community leaders of tomorrow. Investing in their education now is an investment in all of our futures.
We hope all voters in the Morongo Basin will join us in voting yes on Measure O.
The bond measure, put on the ballot by the Morongo Unified School District trustees, would allow the local school district to borrow $48 million to repair and renovate each public school in the Morongo Basin.
With plans for big housing developments and new employers increasing every day, no one can doubt that without the money to build more classrooms, local schools will soon be stretched to the breaking point.
The more people move into the Basin, the more students will enroll in our public schools. More students means not only more classrooms, but more cafeteria space, more bathrooms, more library space, more equipment - more of just about everything.
Today, many of our schools are hopelessly outdated and rely to a frightening degree on portable classrooms.
You can only imagine what will happen in the future without money to improve the local schools.
You might think the State of California will pay for needed expansions to schools. That was the case once upon a time, but today, it's more of a fairy tale.
The state government will pay only a percentage of the money needed for new facilities.
The Morongo Unified School District is left to foot the rest of the bill - or else leave local children to flounder in sub-standard classrooms with dated safety features, expensive cooling and heating systems and over-used facilities.
That's why we at Hi-Desert Publishing Company are throwing our support behind Measure O.
One of the best parts of this bond issue: Measure O has a well-defined goal and a specific list of items to be accomplished with the money that will be raised.
MUSD officials already have compiled a detailed list of all the projects that need to be completed at all the public schools in the Morongo Basin. This bond issue isn't a spur-of-the-moment idea without a plan to back it up. We have seen MUSD's book-sized list of projects and we can assure our readers, it is comprehensive and thoroughly planned out.
A short version of the list is even attached to the board of trustees' resolution approving the bond. That resolution also includes a requirement that a citizens' oversight panel be formed to monitor the spending of the money.
Voters are assured the money from Measure O will pay for what supporters say it will.
The language is built right into the resolution: “Proceeds of the bonds shall be used only for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or replacement of school facilities.”
How could you vote against that?
Furthermore, Measure O money can be used as leverage to obtain even more money from state grants, money which will not be available to the school district without local matching funds.
This measure is good not only for children and their parents, but also for business people and everyone else who lives in the Hi-Desert.
The children who will benefit from the facilities paid for by Measure O are the employees, parents and community leaders of tomorrow. Investing in their education now is an investment in all of our futures.
We hope all voters in the Morongo Basin will join us in voting yes on Measure O.
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