EDITORIAL

We’ve kicked the tires, checked under the hood, taken a test drive.

And we like Measure A. In fact, we like it a lot. You should too.

If passed on June 6 by two-thirds of the voters, the bond measure will

help deliver $165 million for repairs to aging Newport-Mesa schools.

There’s no argument that our 26 schools are in desperate need of

repair. Maintenance in Newport-Mesa, for a variety of mostly

understandable reasons, has been spotty for the past 20 years. In the

post-Proposition 13 era, school boards have chosen to direct their

limited funds into the classroom, even if that meant forgoing needed

repairs.

(By the way, it’s important to note that nearly every mature school

district in California finds itself in the same predicament.)

Our schools need fixing, and Measure A will do it. And do it well. The

designers of the bond measure -- mostly district parents and business

leaders -- have done an excellent job. The list of needed repairs is

thorough, the financing sound and the implementation will be done under

professional management and independently audited by a committee of

parents and business leaders.

Let’s take a detailed look at why every member of this community

should support Measure A.

* Our children need their schools repaired.

The schools aren’t in that bad of shape, except on rainy days when

water pours through leaky roofs and into classrooms, causing ceiling

panels to fall and entire rooms to flood. Or on cold days, when students

sit in classrooms bundled up, the faulty heating system not making a dent

in the winter chill. Or on hot days, when simple fans overtax the

outdated electrical systems and blow fuses. Or, now that we think about

it, on any day, when simply using the bathroom is an adventure.

The bond measure will fix all this, plus upgrade the schools so they

can handle new technology, emergencies and earthquakes. * The window

of opportunity is now; there’s no better time to pass a bond.

The financial stars in Sacramento are aligned just right so

Newport-Mesa residents will be the most bang for their bond buck. The

bond itself is for $110 million with the state providing $53 million in

matching funds -- which will dry up after this year.

* District parents -- with the help of the administration and school

board -- have explored all other options and found no viable

alternatives.

There’s no hidden pot of money containing $165 million to repair the

schools. The budget has been tightened, the surplus property sold, and

the district’s still $165 million short. The only other options other

than a bond is deteriorating schools.

* The bond is affordable, costing $22 per $100,000 of a homeowner’s or

business owner’s assessed property value.

The median assessed value of a home in the Newport-Mesa community is

$217,000, which translates into a yearly property tax increase of $48.50

-- or $4 per month. The price for fixing our schools is cheap.

* The district has thoughtfully crafted this bond measure to provide

professional management and community oversight.

This is where we’re most impressed. The district recruited some of the

community best minds to figure out how to repair the schools. And they

meet for more than six months and made some excellent recommendations --

suggestions that should take away any reasonable opposition to the bond.

For starters, they took management of the complex construction project

away from the school district and gave it to professional managers. They

also established the independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee to make

sure the money is spent correctly.

* Past sins of the district shouldn’t be held against today’s

children.

This is a biggie, the one thing that may get 34% of the residents to

vote against the bond. The school district has had a rocky relationship

with the community in years past, and -- despite its clean record in

recent years -- a bitterness remains. It’s time to move on. It would be a

shame to have bad blood from years past to ruin our children’s future.

* There are safeguards to ensure that the schools will never again

fall in serious disrepair.

Another beautiful device in this bond measure is the mechanism that

ensures that maintenance on our schools will not be delayed again. An

endowment fund is being established for future repairs.

Let’s review. Excellent schools make an excellent community. Our

schools need repairs to continue their excellence. And Measure A is the

perfect device to get them repaired.

We’re talking, on average, a $4 per month investment in the future of

our children and our community.

If that sounds good to you, you need to vote on June 6. The two-thirds

vote needed is a big hurdle to clear, but together, we can do it.