REBUTTAL

I ignored columnist Steve Smith’s earlier commentary on the upcoming

Newport-Mesa Unified School District bond issue and why he was choosing

not to lend it his support. I did so believing that, as the facts about

the conditions of our schools became known, he’d learn why this step is

so desperately needed by our community, and so inform your readers.

Smith’s tirade in last Saturday’s Pilot let me know how wrong I was to

let the first opportunity pass without a response (“Board: Accept

responsibility before we accept bond,” March 4).

Put succinctly, it appears he’s not going to support the bond issue until

the board accepts “responsibility for allowing our schools to fall into

such disrepair.” Even though he acknowledges the schools are in sorry

shape, and that his kids deserve improved educational facilities, and

that the value of his property would increase with the bond’s passage,

he’s against the measure because board members haven’t accepted

responsibility and issued a public o7 mea culpaf7 .

Unbelievable.

I’m a member of the district’s Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, as

well as the Facilities Advisory Committee. The board appointed me and a

number of other concerned citizens to help advise it on how to rebuild

our schools. Notice I said rebuild -- not repair.

Smith seems hung up on why the board hasn’t maintained our schools. What

I’ve learned over a year of meetings is that the members have, to the

maximum extent allowed by available (read discretionary) funding.

I learned that millions of dollars have been spent over the last few

years in maintenance and repair. Was it enough? No, because enough money

wasn’t -- and isn’t -- available, for all the reasons you don’t want to

hear about. But what the board couldn’t and didn’t do is rebuild.

Stop and think about it.

The youngest of our schools is more than 30 years old. Many are much

older. Their plumbing and wiring and heating / ventilation systems and

roofs and sidewalks and doors and windows are worn out or broken. No

amount of maintenance and repair can restore them. They need to be

rebuilt.

The folks of a generation or two before us paid to build these schools,

using a bond.

Isn’t it our turn to rebuild them for the generations to come using the

same sort of funding methodology? And then, under the watchful eyes of

independent disbursement and oversight committees, composed of the

appropriate professionals, we keep them in top-notch condition for

generations to come?

That’s exactly what’s planned.

Steve, I’ve satisfied myself that it’s not the board’s fault our 29

schools need us to step up and rebuild them. In fact, a group of

community members, many of whom were on the Facilities Advisory

Committee, are so dedicated to resolving the problem they’ve helped to

quantify that. They chose to form Citizens to Rebuild Our Schools, a

nonprofit organization, in an effort to do exactly that. You and the

community will hear from them during the coming weeks.

I trust you’ll choose to drop your prejudices and the need to place the

blame and exact retribution and take an objective look at this issue. If

you do, I’m sure you’ll come up with a different conclusion and begin to

support our collective efforts to give your kids, and all of our kids,

the schools they so richly deserve.

By the way, Steve, you were also a member of the Citizens Budget Advisory

Committee. Why is it I never saw you at any of our meetings?

CHUCK CASSITY

Costa Mesa