Books for Redwood Shores Elementary

As you probably know, Redwood Shores Elementary School (‘RSE’) will soon open its doors to students from Redwood Shores and Belmont Shores. RSE is a beautiful facility in an extraordinary setting that will enable our kids and their teachers to realize their full potential. We have this superb new school because in 2005 the voters of Redwood Shores passed $25M in bonds to build it.

RSE is a great facility, but it has some needs that can’t be paid for with bond proceeds. As a long time supporter of our schools, RSCA asked what we could do to help meet these needs. Cherie Ho, RSE’s new principal (and former Sandpiper and Nesbit principal) told us a high priority was financial support for the school’s library collection. We answered this need by pledging $10,000 for RSE’s opening day library collection, and up to an additional $10,000 as a one-to-one match for individual contributions towards the collection. We’ll provide more information on the match opportunity in future editions of the Pilot.

Another School Bond??!! . . . More Taxes??!!

With the opening of Redwood Shores Elementary, the long-standing over-enrollment crisis in the Shores will be at an end. It’s therefore ironic that Belmont is now experiencing overcrowding at its elementary schools and a need for increased classroom space. The Belmont elementary schools and Ralston Middle School are also in need of repairs due to the age of the buildings and deferred maintenance. To address these issues, the School District is preparing to float up to $69M (as of this date) in bonds for various facilities projects, almost entirely at its Belmont schools.

The projects that are likely to be funded are documented in the District’s Master Facilities Plan ($175 M total cost). Top priority projects total $69M, with ~ $49M (71%) going towards new classrooms and maintenance at the four Belmont elementary schools, and ~ $18M (26%) for similar projects at Ralston. Only ~ $2M (<3%) of the $69M total would go to the Shores (all to Sandpiper). In view of the lack of benefits flowing to Redwood Shores schools and that Shores taxpayers will pay nearly half of a District-wide bond (based on assessed property values), how the bonds are paid for is a critical matter.

The District is considering at least two funding options. Option 1 (as currently configured) involves the issuance of District-wide bonds for the entire $69M, which means that taxpayers in Belmont and Redwood Shores would pay at the same rate to fund the bonds (currently, $27 per $100,000 of APV). The RSCA Board objects to this option as inequitable to Shores taxpayers in view of the disparity in benefits and the fact that we would end up paying about the same for improvements at the Belmont elementary schools (around half of $49M) as we did to purchase the land and build Redwood Shores Elementary ($25M)! And, this would be on top of what we alone are paying for the RSE bonds ($30 per $100,000 of APV).

Option 2 (as currently configured) is far more equitable as it involves the issuance of $58M in bonds in Belmont to fund projects at the Belmont Schools elementary schools and half of Ralston’s needs, and $11M in bonds in Redwood Shores for minor maintenance at Sandpiper and the other half of Ralston’s needs. The RSCA Board thinks it is reasonable for Shores taxpayers to fund projects at Ralston since our kids go there for middle school.

Some people object to our position as selfish and hostile to the idea of Belmont and Redwood Shores being a unified school district. To them I respond that it was the District Board itself that divided the District in two so Shores taxpayers would shoulder the entire burden for RSE, with no payment by Belmont. Consequently, it’s only fair for the District to ask Belmont voters to step up and take care of their elementary school needs. Others have objected that the Shores should contribute to improvements at the Belmont elementary schools since Belmont paid for most of Sandpiper. This myth is unfounded in fact and will be debunked in an upcoming edition of the Pilot.

Let no one say that RSCA does not support our schools. We are long-time supporters of School Force and Save the Music. We gave generously to Sandpiper when it was opened. We will give generously to Redwood Shores Elementary. However, as advocates for Redwood Shores, we expect the Shores to be treated equitably by the District. We oppose Option 1 in its current configuration as inequitable. We do, though, support Option 2 as presently configured, which we believe is fair to the Shores. And because Option 2 IS fair, it is far more likely to pass and give the District what it needs to move forward with its facilities plans.

— Doug Crisman