GUHSD incumbent Trustee, Dr. Woods recently said (to a forum sponsor - online East County Magazine) He said, “I have been misunderstood about Prop U funds, and the Alpine High School [he left out Blossom Valley]. Statements like this by Dr. Woods typifies the dishonest culture of this School Board’s majority; it is because of many misstatements like this, that I’ve been prompted to run for the GUHSD Board… Let me explain with examples:
His first misstatement) Dr. Woods was quoted, “Voters approved Prop H in 2004, and Prop U in 2008, totaling $1 billion in funds.” He then said, “The problem is $1.5 billion is needed for upgrades.”
The truth is - Prop H, and then again Prop U, each one, listed a new 12th high school to be included, and funded, built and paid for by each individual bond, not both.
So with both, totaling about $1 billion, don’t you think there is $75 Million to meet the 12th high school obligation, to construct a 12th, as stated in both bond’s project descriptions?
His second misstatement) Dr. Woods said, “And Prop U says we can’t build a school unless we have 23,245 students. And we can’t right now. We’re losing students.
The truth is - Last year at a public board meeting; the GUHSD Superintendent announced that the 23,245 students trigger had been met.
Further, at a Board Budget Workshop held at Cuyamaca College, I was introduced to Eric Hall, the Lease-Leaseback general contractor who was announced as hired to build the 12th HS.
His third misstatement) He said, ”The worst thing is we would have to lay off hundreds of teachers in the district to build the new school.”
The truth is - “0” teachers would be laid off because of the 12th HS, quite contrary, A student recovery report authored by GUHSD Demographer Mr. Vince O’Hara, predicted they’d have to add teachers to handle incoming new students, and the returning many lost students to attend a new school.
His fourth misstatement) After the district acquired property for the 12th high school, Woods shifted, and voted to oppose moving forward to built it. He explains,
“We have to wait until we have enough students, and enough funds to build the operating new school. We would have to stop modernizing campuses now for funds to go to the new school.”
The truth is - Prop H was the “Overcrowding and Safety Measure”, designated to build a 12th high school. 1,000 impacted students still attend the same two overcrowded high schools jammed beyond capacity. Nothing has changed from when they agreed to build HS12; nothing, and they went ahead and bought land, and by the eminent domain, evicted families.
His Fifth Misstatement) Dr. Woods said it all boils down to the bond language. “It was only last year, during the debate over Ronald Reagan High, when declining student enrollment became an apparent, we found out we had a short fall of $58 million from Sacramento,” he said.
The truth is – the GUHSD has, as Dr. Woods stated, $1 billion in bond funds total from Props H & U, less than 1/10 of that amount (about $75 million) was meant for, and intended to build a new 12th high school. Do the arithmetic. They were provided the asked for 12th HS construction funding. Is this right, not building this campus? It was funded twice, and by two bonds.
Let me summarize why I am running for this GUHSD Board Trustee seat, it is because of these continual non-factual misstatements of truth by Dr. Woods.
(Summarizing) Dr. Woods has said,
1st) they (the GUHSD) don’t have the money… but they do have $1 Billion bond dollars.
2nd) the required bond enrollment # of 23,245 students hadn’t been met… but his Superintendent announced that it was met, last year during a board meeting. They voted, sent all site and building plans to the Dept of State Architects’ (DSA). It is all pre-paid, now ready to go.
3rd) that teachers would have to be laid off… Vince O’Hara, the GUHSD Demographer reported quite the opposite; more new and returning students prevent teacher layoffs.
4th) that there is not enough students to operate it [HS12]… Granite Hills HS is still impacted with overcrowding at Steele Canyon also, over 1,000 students originate in Alpine, and more would come to a 12th HS per a public report by Demographer Vince O’Hara.
I’ve heard and read all of these misstatements (and more) by Dr. Gary Woods.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob has addressed the GUHSD Bd., she said “to delay the new campus would break faith with the community of Alpine and with me,” she also said, “No less than the public trust is at stake here. She added that building sooner, rather than later made fiscal sense due to the lowered costs of construction in the recession.” (Ad Lib Here, as needed)
Incumbent Gary Woods needs to be replaced as a GUHSD Gov. Trustee for his numerous misstatements!
