Alpiners successfully petitioned for school district unification; a process that allows Alpine to build and operate its own high school. The petitioners also asked that the Lazy A Ranch high school site bought by Grossmont at $24 million be transferred to Alpine along with some $70 million dollars in cash to build the high school. Alpiners have been paying their fair share of the nearly $1 billion in Proposition H & U funds (bond sales plus State matching funds) to be raised by bonds twice authorized by Grossmont tax-payers for the stated purpose in part of building an Alpine high school. In their divorce from Grossmont, Alpiners are asking for their fair share of capital bond sales proceeds already collected. Alpiners are asking for nothing from the Grossmont operating budget that funds class rooms and staff salaries and benefits.
The County Board of Education has now voted to fully support Alpine’s unification and to recommend its approval to the State of California Board of Education. When the latter approves unification, the matter will be placed before Alpine voters as a ballot measure for their consideration and approval.
At its Board meeting last Thursday, Grossmont continued its offensive behavior by approving a stunning Resolution restating its objection to Alpine’s unification for false reasons, and condemning the County Board of Education by saying Grossmont is “appalled” at the CBOE’s unification support.
In particular quoting from the Resolution, the Grossmont Board –
…. Is appalled that the CBOE would recommend an alternative funding model that would require that the Grossmont distribute up to $70 million in cash and $23 million in property, thereby creating a 38% deficit in our operating budget, effectively bankrupting the district;
…. Is further appalled the CBOE would forward a recommendation (to the State) that included limiting the area of voting to Alpine only, thereby ignoring, and in effect silencing, 96% of the population of the Grossmont district responsible to endure the above 38% deficit by their action.
The statements of being appalled are appalling in themselves!
Is the first a falsehood? Alpine has asked for a land asset already paid for by Grossmont – not with operating funds but with capital raised from the sale of bonds intended for a new high school – to be transferred to Alpine along with cash from the same non-operating budget sources needed to build a high school. Those actions have nothing to do with Grossmont’s operating budget!
The second, also at face value a falsehood, purposely intends to deny Alpiners the right to seek a divorce with a fair and equitable settlement. It falsely excites Grossmont’s other tax-payers, residents and district staff by telling them school operating budgets will be stiffed with a loss of $93 million dollars. Again, Alpiners seek their fair share from Grossmont’s unspent capital funds raised from bonds sales approved by taxpayer-voters also for building an Alpine high school, plus the high school site already bought with such capital bond fund money. This also has nothing to do with Grossmont’s operating budget!
During the discussion period on the resolution, Grossmont Superintendent Ralf Swenson emphatically stated that he would have to fire 777 Grossmont staff to pay for the divorce settlement out of the operating budget for the schools. The premise of that statement is false. Swenson was asked from the floor if that meant he’d fire 777 people in one year, and then rehire them the next? It is nonsense! But did the Superintendent intend to misled, or is the Superintendent a dummkopf ?
Worse, the Superintendent has begun visiting Grossmont school sites and rather than give inspiring speeches to staff for which his predecessor Bob Collins was well known and respected, Swenson is promoting anti-Alpine sentiment and has launched an attack on the San Diego County Board of Education for its support of unification. Swenson is vowing that Grossmont and its unions are going to “Take off the gloves”. He is needlessly frightening Grossmont teachers by saying that many hundreds of them would lose their job to Alpine’s unification.
Think about the former. If 1,000 students attend an Alpine high school, are they not going to need teachers?
With the exception of Trustee Priscilla Schreiber, who continues to remain honorable and supportive of unification, the Grossmont board as a whole continues to be simply deceitful and egregious towards Alpine.
Is the deceit purposeful? Is it now leading to Grossmont’s superintendent spreading falsehoods to other constituents across the district; to its tax-payers, residents, teachers and staff?
Ephesians 5, 11-14 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.
