East County voters will get a chance this election to decide whether they want to pass Proposition V to spend $398 million on renovations to Grossmont and Cuyamaca community colleges.
The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Goverining Board called the renovations “essential” and consist of fixing leaky roofs and updating old computer systems. According to the Grossmont- Cuyamaca Community College District website, “the buildings and facilities on the two campuses are aging and deteriorating.”
Grossmont College was established in 1961 and Cuyamaca college was built in 1978. The two schools have already had renovations completed within the past several years.
The bond money is required to be spent only on repairs and upgrades to the two schools and cannot be used for any other purpose. The anticipated upgrades include creating a Veterans Support Center on both campuses; updating technology; expanding educational and career training facilities; opening an East County Workforce Solutions Training Center; fixing deteriorated roofing, electrical, plumbing and ventilation; and improving access for disabled students.
The bond is estimated to cost East County homeowners about $40 per year for 25 to 40 years (depending on the length of the bond) and would be collected via property taxes. The actual amount paid by each homeowner is determined by the assessed value of their homes and translates to “$16.94 per year for every $100,000 of assessed valuation.”
If Proposition V passes, an oversight committee would be created within 60 days to ensure the funds are being used properly and ensure no money is being spent on operations, salaries or pensions.
The argument in favor of Proposition V states the funds will provide upgrades to the campuses, which will enrich the quality of learning and push the importance of keeping funding local by not spending the money on salaries and areas affected by state budget cuts.
There is no argument against the proposition filed with the Registrar of Voters.
Opinion
Proposition V is a bond measure that requests nearly double the funds the district received just 10 years before. In 2002, a $207 million bond was issued to GCCCD for renovations similar to the ones in the new proposal. Proposition R increased property taxes on homeowners in the area by an estimated $25 per year for the length of the loan. This means residents are still paying for the last bond measure for at least another 20 years, yet the district is now asking for another $398 million for almost identical projects.
I graduated from Grossmont College last June and the college had a practically new technology lab in the center of campus with updated computers featuring all of the latest software. It also had several media labs, math centers and science labs with plenty of instruments for all its students. To top it off, a brand new student center was being built and construction on the administration buildings was so large it had to be blocked by fencing covered in fabric to avoid ruining graduation photos.
Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego is far from out-of- date. I’m currently taking my final language class there and it is beautiful. The school may have opened in the ‘70s, but the majority of the campus was renovated within the last decade or so—and it shows.
The East County, Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College Students, Active Military and Veterans Affordable Education and Job Training Measure is misleading. The funding from the bonds would be primarily used for renovations and upgrades and will in no way contribute to the affordability of the schools.
Students are currently shelling out $46 per unit to take classes at either of these campuses, $30 more per unit than I paid when I started at Grossmont in 2006. Whether the $398 million bond is approved or not, increased per unit fees won’t change, so there is nothing affordable about this proposition.
As for using active military and veterans to grab voter attention, the bonds will not benefit them anymore than it will non-military students, not right away at least. While there are plans to make a Veterans Support Center and Workforce Training Center on each campus, the upgrades to deteriorating parts of the school are the priority, not the new centers.
“There isn’t really a timeline yet,” GCCCD Communications and Public Information Director Anne Krueger said. “That’ll be part of the planning process, assuming Prop V is approved.”
A “no” vote on Proposition V will save East County homeowners from an increase in property taxes and show the GCCCD that $398 million is asking too much. If renovations were so crucial to the productivity of student life, Proposition R should have taken care of the necessary repairs instead of upgrading already beautified parts of the schools.
Let’s keep it simple, Grossmont and Cuyamaca: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
