Below is a spreadsheet showing the plan that the Board supposedly relied on in authorizing the $90 million. The right hand column reflects my personal views. Ask yourself as to each item whether it will do much to improve the education that students receive and whether the money would be better spent on items such as more teachers or better use of computers.
| Analysis of Cost Estimates Used to Justify $90 Million Bond | ||
| (based on official report to Board of Education dated 11/20/01) | ||
| Estimated | ||
| Description | Cost | Comments |
| 1. Current modernization | ||
| program. | ||
| 1.1 Completion of existing | $ 9,000,000 | Items 1.1 and 1.2 are troubling, |
| contracts from prior | but I would support a smaller | |
| modernization program. | bond that would cover these | |
| items. As explained in my | ||
| 1.2 Completion of Building | $ 9,000,000 | statement of November 27, |
| B at Beverly Vista | 2001, it appears that the | |
| District will end up | ||
| approximately $56 million | ||
| over budget for projects that | ||
| were budgeted in 1998 at | ||
| $77 million. This is deplorable, | ||
| but I do not believe that the | ||
| students should be deprived | ||
| of these legitimate projects | ||
| because of the mistakes and | ||
| incompetence of the adults | ||
| who bungled this. | ||
| 2. Life Safety & Security. | ||
| 2.1 Repair uneven patio | $ 112,176 | This item is legitimate, but |
| paving stones & railings | overpriced. The official estimate | |
| at main entrance at | shows "hard costs" (actual | |
| Horace Mann School. | construction costs) of $81,910 | |
| and "soft costs" (design and | ||
| administration costs) of $30,266. | ||
| This is a repair of existing | ||
| paving/railings, and $30,266 | ||
| seems outrageous for soft costs, | ||
| even assuming that this includes | ||
| a historical consultant. Also, | ||
| I am sceptical about the $81,910. | ||
| 2.2 Americans with | $ 500,000 | The official explanation states |
| Disabilities Act ("ADA") | that the "[b]udget amount is | |
| Upgrades. | for unforseen mandated | |
| upgrades, but not for systematic | ||
| implementation of the District | ||
| ADA Transition Plan." | ||
| The original $77 million was | ||
| supposed to address this, | ||
| but recent history has shown | ||
| that the District is capable of | ||
| bungling away millions of dollars | ||
| due to "unforseen" expenses. | ||
| By proceeding based on cost | ||
| estimates that were developed | ||
| on a rush basis to get on the | ||
| March ballot (and that were | ||
| adjusted based on the preferences | ||
| of particular Board members), | ||
| the District is heading for | ||
| millions of dollars of ADDITIONAL | ||
| "unforseen" costs. | ||
| 2.3 Upgrades to smoke | $ 922,653 | This item was SUPPOSED to |
| & fire alarm systems. | be included in the original | |
| $77 million of projects, but | ||
| now we are told that ADDITIONAL | ||
| upgrades are desirable. Such | ||
| upgrades include $248,938 of | ||
| "soft costs" and an INCREDIBLE | ||
| $126,037 for smoke detectors in | ||
| the attic of Building A at | ||
| Hawthorne School. I believe | ||
| that some of this may be | ||
| legitimate (at lower prices), but someone | ||
| would need to investigate why this was | ||
| not handled as part of the | ||
| first round of construction, when | ||
| we were told that all important | ||
| items were being taken care of. | ||
| 2.4 Hazardous materials | $ 500,000 | This was presented to the Board |
| abatement. | as a plug number to cover | |
| the asbestos abatement that | ||
| will result from some of the | ||
| other work described below, | ||
| such as adding more emergency | ||
| lighting than was added in | ||
| the initial round of construction. | ||
| Because I believe that virtually | ||
| all of such items are questionable, | ||
| I believe that this number is | ||
| far too high. | ||
| 2.5 Lighting -- Exit & | $ 1,207,723 | If this was not part of the original |
| Emergency. | $77 million project (which has | |
| "Corridor and exit-way | ballooned into $126 million | |
| lighting and lighted exit | according to the District's official | |
| signs that light the way | numbers), I might believe that | |
| to exits in the event of | this is legitimate. I would also | |
| an emergency or power | note that this includes $325,852 | |
| outage." | of soft costs, which seems like | |
| a lot to pay for supervising | ||
| the fixing of problems that we | ||
| already paid a lot of money to | ||
| fix. | ||
| 2.6 Lighting -- Security. | $ 1,874,817 | Virtually all of this would go to |
| the High School, including | ||
| $510,069 of hard costs to replace | ||
| the lighting for a 2 story parking | ||
| garage, and $807,047 of hard | ||
| costs for "exterior lighting | ||
| improvement." There is also | ||
| $505,838 to design and supervise | ||
| these ridiculously overpriced | ||
| hijinx. Also, there was ZERO | ||
| discussion of the future impact | ||
| on the District's electric bill, | ||
| or of the fact that for several | ||
| months the automatic lighting | ||
| systems at the high school were | ||
| coming on over 3 hours before | ||
| dusk. Every one of these new | ||
| fixtures will have a future energy | ||
| cost and maintenance cost. Also, | ||
| to verify how bogus this is, please | ||
| walk the high school when its | ||
| dark. There's nothing wrong | ||
| there that could not be fixed with | ||
| 5 or 10 additional security lights | ||
| at $500 each, and we could use | ||
| common sense as to placing them | ||
| and thus avoid most of the | ||
| $505,838 of soft costs that the | ||
| District is planning to pay to | ||
| its architectural Einsteins for | ||
| decising what lights to use and | ||
| where to put them. | ||
| 2.7 Seismic or Structural | $ 1,328,116 | This is another item that we |
| Upgrades. | already (over)paid for & that we | |
| are being asked to pay for again. | ||
| There should be an investigation | ||
| as to how this could happen | ||
| & how to avoid a repeat | ||
| performance. Also, this item | ||
| includes $358,334 of soft costs | ||
| to analyse and supervise | ||
| seismic repairs and upgrades | ||
| that were supposed to be part | ||
| of the 1998 plan, which expressly | ||
| included all work necessary to | ||
| make all of the buildings | ||
| seismically safe. Finally, | ||
| it is ironic that the current plan | ||
| totally ignores the seismic | ||
| situation as to Buildings C & D | ||
| at the High School, which are | ||
| the only two buildings in the | ||
| entire school district that were | ||
| expressly excluded from the last | ||
| construction (because the Board | ||
| was considering tearing them down | ||
| and replacing them with a new | ||
| building). Hopefully, this is | ||
| an oversight that will be corrected. | ||
| 2.8 Security Fences. | $ 2,188,119 | Even excluding $590,369 of |
| soft costs, this is a joke. Also, | ||
| the official projection candidly | ||
| discloses that the budgets | ||
| "do not include electronic | ||
| security systems." God forbid | ||
| that any of this money be spent in | ||
| some way that might actually | ||
| make kids safer. | ||
| 3. Deferred Maintenance/Capital Renewal. | ||
| 3.1 Deck & Patio | $ 172,587 | This item relates to improving |
| Waterproofing & Repair. | the patio above the Peters | |
| Auditorium at the High School | ||
| to prevent leaks. The projected | ||
| cost includes $46,565 of soft | ||
| costs. Like many of the items | ||
| in the deferred maintenance | ||
| category, this item calls into | ||
| question the value of the District's | ||
| maintenance department. | ||
| 3.2 Electrical -- | $ 187,861 | This is for replacing a single |
| replacement of pool | electrical panel, and includes | |
| pump panel at High School. | soft costs of $50,686. By folding | |
| this into a larger project, the | ||
| District will be able to waste over | ||
| $100,000 on what should be a | ||
| relatively inexpensive item. | ||
| 3.3 Finishes -- Exterior. | $ 138,217 | This includes work at the High |
| School, Hawthorne and Horace | ||
| Mann that could easily be handled | ||
| by the District's maintenance | ||
| staff if it was efficient & | ||
| hard-working, and includes | ||
| soft costs of $37,292 to direct | ||
| this travesty. | ||
| 3.4 Finishes -- Interior. | $ 2,081,263 | This item is comprised of |
| $1,941,600 for painting, new | ||
| ceiling tiles and new flooring at | ||
| the High School, $37,273 for | ||
| ceiling tiles at Hawthorne, | ||
| $47,427 for ceiling fixtures & tiles | ||
| at Horace Mann, and $561,538 | ||
| of soft costs to coordinate this | ||
| gross waste of taxpayer dollars. | ||
| None of this is allocated to El | ||
| Rodeo or Beverly Vista. | ||
| Based on my rough computations, | ||
| it appears that the District plans | ||
| to pay approximately $20,000 | ||
| to paint each classroom at the | ||
| High School, and this number | ||
| may be far higher considering | ||
| that many of the rooms were | ||
| painted as part of the first round | ||
| of construction. I believe that for | ||
| approximately $100,000, the | ||
| District could paint every | ||
| classroom that needs it, using | ||
| volunteers, and that the current | ||
| plan that would be a sickening | ||
| and obviously stupid waste of | ||
| taxpayer dollars. | ||
| 3.5 Furniture -- | $ 1,911,821 | In 4 years on the Board, I never |
| Classrooms. | heard a single complaint from | |
| any parent, staff member or | ||
| anyone else about classroom | ||
| furniture, and I seriously | ||
| question whether all student | ||
| desks need to be replaced, as | ||
| advocated by the staff. | ||
| The only virtue of this item is | ||
| that it does not include soft costs, | ||
| but don't be surprised if the | ||
| District finds a way to blow | ||
| tens of thousands of your dollars | ||
| on so-called experts, then buys | ||
| desks that fall apart within 10 | ||
| years (as opposed to the current | ||
| desks, many of which were made | ||
| to last forever and which could | ||
| be renovated at a far lower cost | ||
| if there were reason to do so). | ||
| 3.6 Heating, Ventilation, | $ 684,750 | This is intended to provide |
| & Air Conditioning. | heat & air conditioning at | |
| Buildings C & D at the High | ||
| School -- items that were | ||
| cut when we cut these buildings | ||
| from the initial round of | ||
| construction, and which are | ||
| essential now that these buildings | ||
| will be occupied by administrators. | ||
| Also, the amount seems | ||
| questionable considering that | ||
| these two buildings are relatively | ||
| small. | ||
| 3.7 Locker repair/ | $ 95,000 | This item seems reasonable |
| refurbishment. | to me. | |
| 3.8 Plumbing. | $ 27,134 | This is to fix a problem with the |
| diving pit at the High School | ||
| pool that was outlined in a bulletin | ||
| that was part of the $77 million | ||
| plan. The soft costs of $7,321 | ||
| seem unconscionable considering | ||
| that the solution was previously | ||
| provided at District expense, in | ||
| Bulletin #133. | ||
| 3.9 Restroom | $ 4,474,415 | Most of the restrooms in question |
| improvements. | have already been renovated, | |
| "Includes ceiling, floor & | and many of them are pretty | |
| wall finishes replaced or | nice already. The main problem | |
| repaired to as-new | with restrooms at this point is | |
| condition and ADA | vandalism, which is rampant at | |
| compliance within the | all five schools. Until the | |
| room." | vandalism problem is addressed, | |
| it seems foolish to spend a | ||
| small fortune per restroom to | ||
| make them perfect so that the | ||
| current vandals can deface & | ||
| destroy nicer/more expensive | ||
| facilities. | ||
| 3.10 Roofing. | $ 182,631 | This was supposed to be part of |
| the original $77 million plan. | ||
| Also, it includes an unbelievable | ||
| $49,275 of soft costs relating | ||
| to roofs that were supposedly | ||
| studied, at District expense, as | ||
| part of the $77 million project. | ||
| 3.11 Site restoration -- | $ 718,988 | This was included at the last |
| playgrounds only. | minute, when the staff "discovered" | |
| that this was not included in | ||
| the $18 million shortfall that | ||
| it was admitting to. Note that | ||
| this also includes an incredible | ||
| $193,988 of soft costs, even | ||
| though this was part of the | ||
| $77 million and even though | ||
| figuring out what to do at each | ||
| of the three playgrounds in | ||
| question should not take more | ||
| than a few hours, at most. | ||
| 3.12 Window blinds. | $ 976,521 | I might be willing to go for this |
| if I had any reason to believe | ||
| that, unlike the old blinds, the | ||
| new blinds would be kept | ||
| clean and in good working order, | ||
| and if we weren't paying well | ||
| over $2,000 per classroom | ||
| for blinds that could be bought | ||
| & installed in bulk for approximately | ||
| half this amount. | ||
| 4. Program Enhancements. | ||
| 4.1 Auditorium | $ 1,930,995 | This is mostly for work that was |
| refurbishment. | SUPPOSED to be part of the | |
| original $77 million, plus a | ||
| special $5 million payment from | ||
| the City. Also note the | ||
| unconscionable soft costs | ||
| of $520,995 for planning that | ||
| was previously paid for as part | ||
| of the $77 million plan. | ||
| 4.2 Athletic fields. | $ 4,837,489 | This is for artificial turf at all five |
| schools, a luxury that most | ||
| schools (including colleges) | ||
| cannot afford and an attractive | ||
| target for local vandals. Also, | ||
| there are no long term statistics | ||
| at to durability or increased | ||
| danger of certain types of injuries. | ||
| Also note that this amount is | ||
| only 75% of the projected cost, | ||
| with the balance expected to come | ||
| from the City, and that 75% of | ||
| the soft costs is projected at | ||
| $1,305,186, which seems | ||
| outrageous for this item. | ||
| 4.3 Classrooms -- New or | $ 34,506,757 | This item includes $18,022,927 |
| Upgraded. | of hard costs to build 30 new | |
| classrooms at the High School | ||
| (and relocate the tennis courts), | ||
| $2,931,699 to build 6 new | ||
| classrooms in a new three story | ||
| building at El Rodeo, $2,651,778 | ||
| to build 6 new classrooms at | ||
| Hawthorne (and to replace | ||
| Building H to make room for this - | ||
| note that we just finished | ||
| renovating Building H), $1,590,205 | ||
| to upgrade 3 classrooms at Horace | ||
| Mann and $9,310,147 of soft costs. | ||
| At a time that the enrollment | ||
| of resident students is stagnant | ||
| or dropping, the only motive for | ||
| this is empire building, for a | ||
| Board who can influence permit | ||
| decisions for their friends who | ||
| reside outside Beverly Hills and | ||
| for a staff who can justify higher | ||
| salaries for administrators based | ||
| on a higher overall enrollment. | ||
| Note that some of the new | ||
| classrooms at the High School | ||
| will replace classrooms in Buildings | ||
| C & D at the High School, which | ||
| will be renovated then converted | ||
| into spacious administrator offices. | ||
| Also note that the District already | ||
| has more than enough classrooms | ||
| to meet all the needs of the | ||
| children who reside in Beverly | ||
| Hills, and the ultimate impact | ||
| would be to add space that will | ||
| be filled by permit students and/or | ||
| students whose families | ||
| fraudulently represent that they | ||
| live in Beverly Hills. Also note | ||
| that if the Board ever implements | ||
| Dr. Gross's recommendation for a | ||
| middle school, the new | ||
| science classrooms at Horace | ||
| Mann and Hawthorne will have | ||
| been a waste of ( a lot of) money, and | ||
| there will be insufficient | ||
| science classrooms at El Rodeo | ||
| (the projected site of the middle | ||
| school). | ||
| 4.4 District Executive | $ 2,742,489 | This represents offices for the |
| Administration. | Superintendent and a small | |
| handful of top administrators, | ||
| as well as a new Board room. | ||
| Ironically, these administrators | ||
| will have plusher, larger offices | ||
| than most of the taxpayers who | ||
| will end up paying for this. | ||
| 4.5 New parking structure | $ 4,059,027 | This is more parking than needed, |
| for the High School -- | and the soft costs are projected | |
| 160 new spaces. | at an astounding $1,095,152. | |
| 4.6 Central plant. | $ 1,130,562 | This is to partially fix the HUGE |
| screwup in the first round of | ||
| construction relating to HVAC at | ||
| the High School, and includes | ||
| an unconscionable $305,033 | ||
| of soft costs. | ||
| Grand total | $ 87,492,111 | |
| Fudge factor | $ 2,507,889 | |
| Total | $ 90,000,000 | |
Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp