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Letters
How will district pay off loan if state can't come to the rescue?
It seems that Saratoga Union School District has decided how it will handle its budget shortfall at the Argonaut and Foothill schools. The district will use the remaining Measure D funds to build new administration buildings, new multipurpose buildings, and new kindergarten rooms. That is, it will spend an amount larger than the shortfall itself on new facilities that were not even authorized by the voters, who approved Measure D in the special election in June 1997.
Consequently, the new classrooms, which were the only new facilities the voters did authorize, will be postponed for a later phase, to be financed by a "loan against future income." The future income the district is counting on is matching funds from the state. These funds will only become available if, and when, the state legislature replenishes the state's matching funds account. The original funds were depleted in early April 2000. SUSD lost out because it did not have its plans ready to submit by then even though the architects had been working on the plans since before the election in 1997. What could possibly have taken them so long? How much did construction costs increase during the inordinate amount of time taken to prepare the plans?
"Nonconforming" portable classrooms have already been eliminated and some existing classrooms are being converted to kindergarten rooms. Therefore, without any new classrooms, Argonaut will be left with four fewer classrooms than it had before this project started. Foothill will be left in similar condition.
This lack of classrooms will require the district to 1) use expensive portable classrooms, 2) require some parents to transport their children to the Saratoga school where the district, by its own admission, built more new classrooms than were authorized by the voters, or 3) impose some combination of 1 and 2.
Shouldn't the community wonder how SUSD will pay off the loan for the new classrooms if the legislature fails to replenish the state's matching funds account? Don't you suppose the district probably correctly figures that the voters will be more inclined to approve a new bond measure for new classrooms than one for new administration buildings, new multipurpose buildings, and additional kindergarten rooms? Don't you suspect that is why SUSD did not divulge to the voters in the first place that it planned to spend Measure D funds on these additional facilities? And aren't we apt to assume that this might have influenced SUSD's decision to use the remaining Measure D funds on the unauthorized new facilities?
My experience in dealing with SUSD has conditioned me to not be surprised by its actions. Nevertheless, I must admit to being astounded by the extent to which SUSD continues to violate the trust placed in it by this community, not to mention that it does so in a manner politely described as autocratic and surreptitious.
Wes Ferguson
Chateau Drive
Chancellor is blind to what happened at board meeting
The March 14 issue of The Saratoga News had an interview by Rebecca Ray on the subject of West Valley College District trustees.
District Chancellor Linda Graef Salter needs to seek immediate medical attention for an audio and visual disorder, for denying that board members had whispered or joked, while speakers addressed the board. Nobody could be that deaf and blind to behavior which was obvious to other observers.
Salter's other claim that she had not seen or heard "anything that would be inappropriate on the part of board members" is denied by the pages of this paper. Only two weeks ago, a letter was published complaining about board member Don Wolfe stating that the speakers were "ignorant" and "victims of misinformation and misguided."
These comments are inappropriate by any definition, and one of the offended speakers (Herb Radding) has called for a written apology for these remarks on West Valley College stationery.
President Nancy Rucker is under illusions when she says that "the board has a good relationship with the public." Her definition of "public" obviously excludes the homeowners of Saratoga, because several members of the public have stood in front of the board, and complained about several major items, including:
* A lack of respect for citizens in the neighborhood;
* The college's failure to abide by the laws that apply to every other resident in Saratoga (e.g. applying for permits);
* The new bus terminal and consequent relocation to a temporary facility which causes maximum distress to nearby homeowners;
* The decision to build a stadium despite the original agreement with the city and written commitment to the community that West Valley College would never build a stadium;
* The traffic problems caused by students and events;
* A drop in home values by 10 to 15 percent if the board proceeds with its present plans.
Let me assure Rucker that any West Valley College action which costs each neighbor hundreds of thousands of dollars in the resale value of their home is not the foundation of a "good relationship!"
Having attended several board meetings this year, let me state that never before have I seen so many elected representatives act with such disdain towards the people who voted them into office. Only one member of the board, Jeff Schwartz, has shown a willingness to support the community's concerns.
At the same meeting where some board members behaved so rudely, Schwartz announced there was no longer any reason to prevent broadcasting the meetings over Saratoga's public access channel (the board had previously voted 6 to 1 against allowing members of the public to view them at work).
It is easy to understand why the vote was so lopsided against broadcasting. A videotape of the board's reaction to speakers would show everybody the kind of unprofessional behavior that Salter chooses to neither see nor hear.
* The Saratoga News should send it's own reporter to these meetings. There would then be no need for interviews which provide leeway for Salter and Rucker to whitewash the issues.
* The Saratoga News should join others in agitating for the broadcasting of board meetings over public access television, so that a wider audience of residents can judge for themselves the behavior of the board which sits at West Valley College.
I. Dal Allan
Black Walnut Court
Chancellor criticizes press coverage of board meeting
I am confident that had Rebecca Ray attended the West Valley-Mission Community College District Board meeting on which she reported, the story would have been different--that is, accurate and fair,
Let's begin with the headline (in the March 14 issue of The Saratoga News)--"District trustees criticized for rude behavior at recent meets." This positions the story as fact, when in reality the story is based on the allegations of two people, the author of a letter to the paper and one other individual. The article downplays the testimony of the board president, the West Valley College president, the president of the student senate, and myself, all of whom spoke with the reporter and confirmed there was absolutely no such behavior. Readers who have not attended one of our meetings may have been led to believe that West Valley College and the board are insensitive and unresponsive to the concerns of our students and neighbors. This simply is not true!
Case in point is the issue prominently cited in the article--the planned completion of the West Valley College athletic facility. The addition of seats and lighting to the facility is part of an existing plan to modernize a campus that is more than 30 years old, and, ultimately, to enhance our students' educational experiences, as well as to benefit all in our community who utilize the campus. In reality, the overall scope of the project is quite minor. The capacity will remain exactly the same, which is smaller than that of most community colleges and even many local high schools, including Westmont and Los Gatos High.
Foremost in the execution of this project is our commitment to take all necessary measures--planning, landscaping , timing--to minimize the impact on our students and neighbors. Unfortunately, such fundamental details have been omitted from much of The saratoga News coverage to date.
As is so often the case, the reality of this particular issue is far different than the perceptions some hold. At West Valley, we are resolved to communicate openly and honestly with the community about this and other issues so everyone involved is thoroughly informed and educated on all aspects of the matter.
The public has the right to form their own opinions based upon facts, not the perceptions of a few individuals. To achieve this end, I trust The Saratoga News will make a greater effort to seek the facts when reporting on this project in future articles.
Linda Salter Chancellor West Valley
Mission Community College District
Progressive attitude by local fire district
I have lived at several locations in Saratoga for a number of years and have found the Saratoga Fire District has served our needs extremely well. Also, it appears to me as an excellently trained group of firefighters and medical technicians, with a great concern for the citizens of this community. They have contributed a great deal in making Saratoga an ideal place to live.
The emergency response to fire/smoke detection for those of us lucky enough to have the system installed in our homes speaks to the progressive attitude of the fire chief and the commissioners.
I think the district should remain intact in Saratoga.
Jim O'Donoghue
Saratoga Villa Place
New sheriff's tools creating a police city
Your headline for the article in the Feb. 28 issue of the Saratoga News by Rebecca Ray on the grant money should have read "Grant money will create a police city."
With the new additions of deputy sheriffs on the streets of Saratoga, all I see now as I traverse the city is a white sheriff's car waiting for some unsuspecting motorist to break the law. Now laser guns, high-speed computers and digital cameras to take pictures of violators--where will it end? There have been so many violators nabbed at Cox and Saratoga avenues that a sign has been put up telling when we can begin making a turn from the bike lane, which most likely has never had a bicycle rider using it.
Are the number of traffic violators that bad, or does the city need the revenue from the citations to run the city hall?
Eric Bracher
Chardonnay Court
Correction
In the March 14 Saratoga News, an item on Villa Montalvo (now known as Montalvo) incorrectly stated that the foundation created to run the 175-acre property was the Montalvo Service Group, when it was actually the Montalvo Association that took it over in 1953. The Montalvo Service Group was founded two years later in 1954 by local women, who wanted to help hostess and care for the villa and its immediate grounds.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
