April 23, 1999

We all know politics makes strange bedfellows, but it's something else again to find myself agreeing with School Board Member Mike Helms. He got me by pointing out that Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District could obtain half the $45 million cost of a third high school from Mello-Roos funds and half from the state's construction bond, and he doesn't want to ask the community for more assessments "unless it's absolutely necessary." Am I dreaming?

I also agreed with his reaction to Kathy Mitchell of Citizens for Better Schools, who has been raising the specter of a lawsuit from "somebody" if Mello-Roos residents are tapped for the matching funds. Helms answered with, "Let them file it. It's totally legal, what we're doing."

I've waited a long time to hear that from the education community. Ever since federal compensatory education programs began their reign of social engineering and special education advocates went off the deep end, the schools have been cowering in fear of the dreaded litigation monster.

In fact, we've become a nation of lawsuit-phobics, with academia suffering severe panic attacks for the last 30 years. Avoidance of legal actions has been used as an excuse to bow to much parental and bureaucratic bullying, and it has the added benefits of being the easy way out and expanding the school system in myriad ways. The let-them-file-it stance might stop some suits before they pass the "gimme" stage and could foster respect in a district committed to high-quality, basic education.

Mello-Roos payers need to set a good example for FSUSD students and take responsibility for their decisions to buy houses within these districts. When The Husband Kurt and I looked at houses in one development within a pricey community facilities district, we couldn't get out of the sales office fast enough after hearing how much and how long such payments could be. House lust can edge out reason, hence the rule of caveat emptor.

The money is there, it's legal to use it for the third high school, and the clock's ticking on state bond revenues. It's time to stop searching for a problem to replace the obvious solution: Buy the land and break ground already!

© 1999 Cynthia Hahn