Letters

West Valley tries to hide ballot decision

Very few residents realize that the West Valley-Mission Community College District has placed a huge bond issue on the March ballot. That is because the district does not want voters to become familiar with this bond issue.

They called a special meeting to approve the bond measure, with no advertising and no public hearings. Not one member of the community was in attendance. The cost of this bond measure to residents in the West Valley-Mission Community College District is $715 million, and that amount has to be repaid in 38 years! That means it will cost most homeowners between $3,000 and $5,000 in additional property taxes.

If the district had placed a parcel tax on the ballot, then every extra tax dollar we spent would produce a dollar for the college district. However, they wanted their money all at once so they chose a bond measure and it will cost taxpayers $3 for every dollar raised for the district.

This bond measure is greed, not need. The college district already has a budget in excess of $100 million a year and they receive $3 million to $4 million a year in special local revenue that is not available to other community colleges. The truth is that, according to the State Chancellor's Office reports, academic achievement by the West Valley-Mission Community College District has been deteriorating sharply over the last several years. The district has also been fiscally irresponsible and has lost millions of dollars through mistakes and embezzlement over recent years.

The district does not need or deserve a bond measure that costs us three quarters of a billion dollars.

I urge residents to register, vote in the March election and defeat Measure E.

Victor Monia
President, West Valley Homeowners Association
Former Trustee, West Valley-Mission Community College District

Bond money needed to update, college campuses

I serve as co-chair of the Citizens for West Valley-Mission--Yes on Measure E, a committee established by local residents to ensure the passage of Measure E. Victor Monia's letter to the editor on this page, contains misinformation relating to the West Valley-Mission Community College District bond measure.

Our committee is working to ensure that each and every voter in the district's service area becomes informed of the facility needs at their community colleges and obtains the facts about the district's long-term, comprehensive, strategic planning process, which indicated the district required more than $400 million to improve aging facilities.

Monia's letter ignores the fact that in order to fund student needs, the district has worked hard to obtain grants and private donations and judiciously used its state budget resources.

Unfortunately, Monia's letter also fails to mention that maintenance is usually low on the list of state budget priorities, particularly during a recession.

Monia's letter ignores the fact that the district board of trustees voted to place a bond measure for $268 million on the March 5 ballot at a public meeting posted in the same manner as every board meeting, and after numerous public meetings were held to discuss the district's facility needs.

Simply put, Measure E, which covers essentials only, will cost homeowners $14 per $100,000 of assessed value. This should not be confused with market value. And let's not forget that this amount is tax deductible.

Monia misled readers when he indicates that $3,000 to $5,000 in additional property taxes will be paid. The amount is projected to be paid over 25 to 30 years--not as much as he would like you to believe once the math is done.

The district is not being greedy, as suggested, but is working to bring our campuses up-to-date and provide our students with safe and current facilities.

The money will remain in the community and upgrade buildings that are more than 30 years old, built long before classrooms and labs relied on computer technology.

And, as we've stated, independent audits will be conducted annually.

Measure E would allow West Valley and Mission colleges to bring campus buildings up to health and safety standards; renovate science and computer labs, classrooms, and job training facilities, and obtain new technology; update equipment used for classes in health care, law enforcement, and fire science; replace 30-year-old temporary buildings; and repair roofs and upgrade energy, plumbing, sewer, heating, ventilation, and other inefficient, costly systems.

Each year thousands of students take classes at West Valley and Mission Colleges to transfer to a four-year university or acquire skills for a career. Chances are the teachers, firefighters, police officers and nurses that you rely upon attended a community college. Measure E is good for the West Valley-Mission Community College District, the students it serves and the community as a whole. Invest in your community's future by voting "yes" on Measure E.

Chris Constantin
Co-chair of Citizens for West Valley-Mission--Yes on Measure E Committee
Trustee, WVMCCD Board

WVC doesn't deserve support for bond issue

My family and I have lived in the West Valley-Mission College area for 39 years. I am a former member of the Saratoga City Council.

When the West Valley-Mission Community College District was first forming in the 1960s, I carried petitions door to door to help build support for the bonds required. I am in favor of, and willing to pay for, real education and academic excellence for our students, but I regret my early work in support of the community college district.

The college district has now voted to place a $268 million bond issue on the ballot in March. That will cost those of us who are homeowners in the district a staggering $715 million in extra taxes. Not a penny of this money will improve education programs in the district.

The district already receives more than $100 million a year, and most of that is our tax money, not tuition. Forty percent of its students are from outside the district, not even our responsibility, while our students wait, sometimes years, for required classes taught by teachers being paid minimum wages. In the last several years the administration has lost millions of dollars due to cost overruns and curious accounting problems.

I no longer support the community college district that I helped to get started. I urge residents to vote "no" on Measure E. The West Valley-Mission Community College District does not need and sadly cannot be trusted with this extra tax money from us.

Cheriel Jensen
Saratoga

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