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HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-88-42R E S O L U T I O N N O. R - 88 - 42 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA, URGING CITIZENS OF SEBASTIAN AND NORTH COUNTY TO VOTE "NO" ON THE SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUM. BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Sebastian, Florida, as follows: WHEREAS, on May 24th, the School Board is holding a special election at the cost of approximately 822,000 so that Indian River County voters can vote on a 5 year building plan bond referendum and a teachers millage referendum. The building bond referendum is for a total of $41.9 million; the tax referendum will establish a one mill tax for two years for the purpose of paying teachers more than the negotiated salary increase and related expenses in the general budget. At best, if the $41.9 million building bond referendum passes, then the North County High School may be built simultaneously with the South County Middle School. The School Board has placed the construction of the Dodgertown Library, Beachland, Fellsmere, Sebastian, and Vero Beach Elementary Additions, all ahead of the North County High School. Yet, according to former School Board Chairman, Carol Johnson, at two recent speaking engagements at the Vero Beach Senior Center and Dodger Pines Country Club, the North County High School is a must! Sixteen portables are being used to relieve overcrowded conditions at the existing Vero Beach High School. The core facilities such as the cafeteria, media center, health clinic, restrooms, and parking lots were built for 1600 students. Yet there are now 2200 students at the high school, 600 more than the facility is designed for. Overcrowded conditions certainly don't provide for Good, quality education and don't help alleviate the alarming dropout rate at the high school. The Southern Association of Colleges and High Schools report; released in early May, states that the Veto Beach High School facilities are at their maximum capacity. Why then are Supterintendent Burns and the majority of the School Board so desirous of placing such a high priority on construction of the South County Middle School? When the South County Middle School is constructed, the School Board and the Administration plan to convert the existing Vero Beach Junior High School into a school just for ninth graders and daytime adult educational students only. This concept is so relatively new that it has not been reviewed or approved by the Florida Department of Education. If the South County Middle School is constructed and the Veto Beach Junior High School is converted to a ninth grade school, the Vero Beach High School will house approximately 1600 students in grades 10 - 12. However, the North County High School will open with approximately 800 or fewer students in grades 9-12. The low student population in the North County High School will eliminate the advanced placement courses and those North County students enrolled in such courses will have to be bussed to Veto Beach. it is our opinion that the following should be done: 1) 2) 3) 4) Abolish the proposed 9th Grade - Adult Education School plan. Save S16,726,000 by not constructing a South County Middle School for Grades 6 - 8. Rezone the South County and North County High School Districts to provide between 1100 and 1200 students at both the Veto Beach and North County High Schools. Place the No. 1 priority on constructing the North County High School now because of the urgent need to reduce existing overcrowded conditions. Our high school students from all over Indian River County can't afford to wait while the priority of a new high school is shifted to the bottom of the list. We think our North County students are being politically blackmailed by our superintendent and majority of our School Board by forcing us to vote for another Middle School in order to construct the North County High School. Therefore, we urge Sebastian and North County residents to vote "no" on this Bond Referendum. We also urge our citizens to write or call the School Board members and Superintendent to urge the construction of the North County High School first, and the rezoning of the North and South County Districts to provide for equal educational opportunities for students attending both high schools CITY~F SEB~TIAN Richard B. ' Votapka, Mayor ATTEST: Kathr~ M. O'Halloran, CMC/AAE City Clerk · I HEREBY CERTIFY that this Resolution was adopted u~a~imously by the City Council at a regular meeting on the llth d~y of-May, 1988. ~ ~'Halloran,