lagunabeachindy . com MAY 12 , 2023 21
GUEST OPINION : FINDING MEANING
LBUSD Facility Open House , Not That Open
By Steve McIntosh
After the public complained of being left out of the process , the Laguna Beach Unified School District held an “ Open House ” at the High School to present the $ 150 million Giant Facilities Project to neighbors and concerned citizens . Attended by nearly 200 people , the event was framed in a way to prevent three of the five decision-making school board members from attending , citing it would be a Brown Act violation for all to be there . However , in the district ’ s own by-laws and in the Brown Act itself , there are at least three exemptions where all five board members could have attended without issue . This event could have been easily set up under any of those , according to attorneys and many people with board and city council experience .
With such a monumental project at hand , we at SensibleLaguna . org have been insisting for weeks that all board members be there to hear what the public has to say in an exchange and discussion format about other alternatives , options and justifications . Didn ’ t really happen .
While the district did throw out a few new ideas reducing the scale of the project , which is encouraging , the presentation was unorganized , and most people told us they left more confused and angrier than ever . Poster boards on easels were set up around the room . A couple of the architect reps and a few district employees stood around trying to explain the “ plan ” style drawings without justifications or valid reasons for such a massive proposal . ( I know they got an earful from some of the attendees !) None wore name tags , and there was no way for anyone to know who to talk to for answers . Various renderings were
also displayed but with no real link to the applicable drawings . It was a jumbled mess . Rumor has it that another meeting will be on May 23 , open for discussion and actual exchange of ideas . We hope .
The need for a 50-meter pool has already been proven to NOT be needed for a CIF High School or college swimming or water polo ( see Steve Brown ’ s letter to the editor in the Indy ). The upkeep and maintenance costs are significantly more than 35 , 38 or 40 m pools , which can easily fit in the existing pool space .
Research shows a much different process for large school district improvement projects than what has happened here . Other districts have demonstrated an approach that is labeled essential by the California Department of Education ). https :// www . cde . ca . gov / ls / fa / bp / documents / masterplans . pdf
The Process Used to Develop a Facilities Master Plan :
“ FMPs should be developed with a wide range of community stakeholders to ensure that multiple perspectives are included . Many districts find community workshops beneficial …”
This document encourages and shows that a huge amount of community involvement early in the process is the norm , not this late in the game . The committee for this project appears to have been made up of Superintendent Viloria , the assistant superintendent , principals , district employees , two board members , architect employees and a SchoolPower member or two . Hardly a wide range of community stakeholders ! At the Special Facilities Meeting in Sept . of 2022 , a board member suggested getting neighbors on the committee , and Superintendent Viloria said “ no .”
Citizens of Laguna are left scratching their heads at the cost and scale of this project and its huge ripple effect on the neighborhood and community . They are asking why the board of education ( who actually live in town ) would allow something like this to get this much traction to get to this point in the process . And they also ask , what about spending the money on actual education ?
Lastly , it ’ s ironic and scary that the very people that are responsible for education couldn ’ t seem to find a way “ educate ” the public on this massive project . That doesn ’ t make sense . Steve is a husband , father , retired 41-year resident of Laguna Beach and co-founder of SensibleLaguna . org - working to find a good common sense , factual solution for all .
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