School bond failure

-- Andrew Wainer

A Huntington Beach Union High School District bond election brought

activists from both sides of the issue out into the political arena. But

in spite of months of planning and campaigning, the bond was defeated

Nov. 9.

Led by district Supt. Susan Roper, the pro-bond activists patched

together a powerful coalition of business, educational and political

personalities who lobbied in support of the $137-million school repair

bond. But Measure A won only 61% of the vote. Bond elections need a

two-thirds majority to pass.

Everyone from students to district administrators were hurt by its

failure.

Meanwhile, opponents said the vote was a victory for the common resident

against a wasteful and inefficient bureaucracy.

Roper said the vote represented “old Orange County” -- the

hyper-conservative, antitax segment of the population.

One of the main handicaps of the effort, said district consultant Larry

Remer, was that the district serves only high schools. This limits the

direct positive impact a bond would have on the population because the

money would not have immediate benefit for elementary school students.

A similar bond passed a week earlier in San Juan Capistrano, which is a

unified district serving kindergarten through 12th grades.

The loss left the district with schools in dire need of repair and no

money to fix them.

The district’s sinking buildings, rotting walls and cracked floors must

await other options before they can be repaired.