Prop AA — Time to invest in our community

Forty years ago, San Dieguito High School district asked its voters to approve a bond.

They did....and Torrey Pines High school was built. TPHS is now ranked among the best in the nation.

Since then, SDUHSD has built four other schools — Diegueno Middle School, La Costa Canyon High School, Carmel Valley Middle School and Canyon Crest Academy — without asking voters for another bond.

Until now.

State funding for schools has dropped to a new low and the San Dieguito High School District is struggling — along with every other district in the state — to maintain student programs and the necessary maintenance of existing facilities.

A few weeks ago, the water main to TPHS failed, leaving almost 3,000 students and staff without water. Within hours, our staff had portable toilets, hand washing stations and bottled water on site, and no instructional time was lost.

The reason for the line failure? The bolts holding the lengths of pipe together had crumbled from 40 years of corrosion.

Our schools have aged, some less gracefully than others.

With student, staff, parent and community input, a list of district facility needs has been created — $449 million worth of projects to benefit the students on every campus, plus a new middle school to relieve Carmel Valley Middle School’s serious over-crowding. A complete list is available on www.friendsofsandieguitoschools.com. This is not a “wish” list — it is a “needs” list.

A school board cannot impose taxes … But it can, and should, present the needs and facts to the voters for them to decide whether or not to invest in our schools, students, and community.

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association has studied our proposal and supports Prop AA, commenting that the projects have been thoroughly vetted. Their detailed ballot recommendation of Prop AA is at www.sdcta.org.

Our schools consistently rank the highest academically in the county, state and country. In order to continue to provide the best opportunities for our students, we need facilities that will meet our students’ needs for the next 40 years.

We cannot afford to wait. After 40 years, it’s time to once again invest in our own community and our students. It is up to us to do what needs to be done.

If you value educational excellence and the wisdom of planning for our future, you will understand the need to support Prop AA.

Barbara Groth

Trustee (and alumnus)

San Dieguito Union High School District