The COVID-19 crisis has had a significant impact on our community, especially our schools.
Teachers and staff have been forced to find new ways to educate. From this challenge, we have all learned a valuable lesson: Crises don’t wait and we must stay prepared for any emergency.
We now have the opportunity to improve our schools and make them better prepared for the future.
Remarkably, Goleta Union School District has not had a local school improvement bond since 1996.
Brandon, El Camino, Ellwood, Foothill, Hollister, Isla Vista, Kellogg, La Patera, Mountain View and Goleta Family elementary schools all need repairs. Measure M will provide these schools with resources to make critical updates and better prepare students for a changing world.
Measure M projects include upgrading STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) classrooms, improving classroom technology and student internet access, improving Americans with Disability Act accessibility, repairing leaking roofs, pipes and plumbing, and increasing renewable energy, including solar.
Measure M comes with ironclad taxpayer protections, including requiring a rigorous Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, qualifying for state matching funds, prohibiting funds from being used for administrators’ salaries or benefits, and guaranteeing that all bond money will be spent locally, not taken by the state for use elsewhere.
Our community prides itself on taking care of each other and coming together to support those in need. Today it’s our schools that need help. At long last, let’s prepare them for whatever the future may bring. Let’s ensure that, no matter the circumstances, our children receive the best education possible.
As an accountant and by nature a very frugal person, I almost never support bond issues but have made an exception in this case. Education is the key to solving and preventing so many of our society’s challenges, and Measure M will be key in assuring that the children of our community receive a quality education.
Our schools are our most valuable public resource. Let’s guarantee they remain that way. Vote Yes on Measure M.
Tony Vallejo
Former Goleta City Council member,
board president of United Boys and Girls Club,
certified public accountant
