EDITORIAL

Take a moment. Think back to your high school days. Remember the science

lab, with its immaculate counters? How about the gym, with its polished

floors and sturdy bleachers? The classrooms weren’t outfitted with

computers, but they were clean, and the ceilings were sturdy.

Today’s Huntington Beach Union High School District seniors won’t have

those kinds of memories. They’ll remember the sinking buildings at the

Edison, Fountain Valley and Marina campuses, the leaking roofs at

Huntington Beach, Ocean View and Westminster, and the toilets that always

seem to overflow.

“There are ants in a few of my classrooms, and sometimes they crawl over

my desk,” says Cassandra Stewart, a senior at Fountain Valley High.

“I am constantly changing classrooms because they get flooded by the

leaky ceilings,” says Adam Miller, who’s in his last year at Marina.

Fond memories, indeed.

Some blame the school district for allowing the campuses to deteriorate

to such a degree. They say the district squandered the money, didn’t plan

for the future.

The school district points to state funding, declining enrollment and the

recession of the ‘80s as reasons.

At this point, how the campuses got to this point doesn’t really matter.

What matters now is fixing the problem.

On Tuesday, we will be asked to vote on Measure A -- a $123-million bond that will fix the toilets, the leaking roofs, the sinking buildings and

the many other problems plaguing our high school campuses. If the bond

passes, property owners will pay a tax of $27 per $100,000 of the

assessed value of their home.

That means if your home is worth $350,000, your tax would be $94.50 -- an

amount some couples spend on a nice dinner and a movie.

Our students are worth it.

We urge you to vote yes on Measure A. It will ensure the future of our

schools and more importantly, it will ensure the health and safety of our

students.