SCHOOL DISTRICT CAN'T GET FUNDS.Byline: Sue Doyle Doyle , Sir Arthur Conan 1859-1930. British writer known chiefly for a series of stories featuring the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes, including The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902). Staff Writer ACTON Acton, town (1990 pop. 17,872), Middlesex co., E Mass., NW of Boston; settled c.1680, inc. 1735. Among its manufactures are electrical machinery, chemicals, prefabricated houses, and precision equipment. - They hoped this would be a victory for Vasquez High School. The wish was that the students' campus of modular buildings Modular buildings are sectional prefabricated buildings that are manufactured in a plant, and delivered to the customer in one or more complete modular sections. Modular buildings are considerably different from mobile homes. would soon be replaced with permanent structures. They hoped the financial woes were behind them. But last week, the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. discovered that there were more hurdles to come. The rural school district doesn't meet all the requirements for the $13 million in financial hardship funding that it wants from the state to build the high school. Now district officials must decide what to do next. ``What makes me so angry about this is that once again, based on red tape and policies, who ends up paying for it? The kids,'' said Melissa Harnett, school board president. Most school districts make their cases for financial hardship after putting themselves in substantial debt, passing a bond and still needing more money, said Matt Bender, spokesman for the state Department of General Services, which oversees the Office of Public School Construction. After learning the news, the district removed its appeal for hardship funding in a March 21 letter to the State Allocation The apportionment or designation of an item for a specific purpose or to a particular place. In the law of trusts, the allocation of cash dividends earned by a stock that makes up the principal of a trust for a beneficiary usually means that the dividends will be treated as Board, because it didn't have the support from the board's members. In the letter, Interim Superintendent John Hutak wrote that the school board will ask for community support of a local general obligation bond on the November ballot. He added that the district would return to its appeal position for hardship funding if the bond passes. Hutak did not return several phone calls last week seeking comment nor did the district supply a copy of the March 21 letter despite a request from the Daily News. However, the State Allocation Board did comply with the request, as the letter is public record. Whether the board will decide to place a school construction bond on the November ballot remains to be seen. Members will discuss the appeal, funding options and the direction they want to pursue at the next school board meeting in April. Meanwhile, some are having a hard time digesting the news that after months of work toward the appeal, that there are still more obstacles to overcome - especially the challenge of getting a bond passed. Voters have killed the past three bond measures the board has put on the ballot. The region has a large retirement community that has lobbied hard in the past against the measures. Other residents also voted against the bonds out of frustration with previous school board members. But Harnett hopes that the community's confidence in this board is growing and that residents are seeing changes in the school system, such as Meadowlark meadowlark, common North American meadow bird of the family Icteridae, also called meadow starling. Unlike other members of the family, which comprises blackbirds, grackles, orioles, and others, the meadowlark does not travel in large flocks, and it eats harmful Elementary School's recognition this year as a California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Distinguished School. But the board doesn't know whether that's enough to sway residents with the November ballot just months away, if they do agree to go for the bond. ``It takes time to change the continuum Continuum (pl. -tinua or -tinuums) can refer to:
Member Ron Bird said the district doesn't have to pursue a bond for the hardship funding and could look for other funding mechanisms. ``If Bill Gates (person) Bill Gates - William Henry Gates III, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, which he co-founded in 1975 with Paul Allen. In 1994 Gates is a billionaire, worth $9.35b and Microsoft is worth about $27b. gave $10 million for the purpose of building buildings, we could use that money,'' he said. ``But the most logical way is passing a bond.'' Sue Doyle, (661) 257-5254 sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com |
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