During the next couple of months the Grossmont Union High School District Governing Board will be discussing and making decisions on the fate of a very explicit Proposition H obligation, the new 12th district high school promised to be built locally. Your individual commitment to advocate for our bonded and promised new high school is needed.
     Prop H promised many things that are under discussion. The single largest listed Prop H project is the new 12th high school, and it is being reconsidered. Grossmont Union’s Long Range Facilities Master Plan, its’ district-wide modernization plan, and the needed Prop H bond extension, must all include a planned new 12th high school.
     Our trust is that GUHSD acts in good faith; pursuant to the March 2004 vote that passed Prop H, which included a new high school; and also pursuant to a governing board resolution that assured us the construction of a new high school.
     In an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Leonel Sanchez wrote this on Jan. 24, 2008:
     In March, he (Superintendent Collins) will address the district’s facilities needs, a thorny issue because of the lack of funding to complete all the construction projects promised to voters who passed a large bond measure in 2004, including a new school in the Alpine area.
     Collins said the district’s bond program was vastly improved before his arrival and that its rocky start appears to be in the past.
     “We do have some history to explain, and we will explain it as clearly and honestly as I can,” he said.
     “We have to address the Alpine high school issue. We have to make a recommendation.”

     The March 13 GUHSD board meeting looks to be very important. The February meeting could also be of importance. The final outcome for Prop H decisions must address the entire bond list of items about safety, upgrading, overcrowding relief, future growth, facility replacement, and the construction of a new high school.
     Ten years ago the Alpine High School Citizens Committee (AHSCC) was officially formed with this objective: “To achieve an exemplary high school for the students and community of Alpine.”
     In December 2003, the governing board of the GUHSD unanimously approved a “Resolution” calling for a new Alpine/Blossom Valley high school. It directed that a bond including this new 12th district high school be on the March 2004 ballot. Proposition H was born.
     The AHSCC thought it had achieved its objective when Prop H passed in 2004. Today, our new 12th high school is a target of reconsideration, or possible elimination.
     On Feb. 3, 2007 the GUHSD administration produced a 62-page presentation proposing a land purchase for, but not actually constructing a 12th high school. This administration proposal has not been accepted. It is still on the table for consideration.
     The governing board quickly formed a Bond Advisory Commission (BAC) comprised of four Subcommittees to study different aspects of Prop H. Also, an independent third party was hired to further analyze the Prop H bond problems. Experts were hired (Gafcon-Harris) to oversee and manage Prop H projects. Excellent solutions have been produced by these entities; but only a few of the many recommended Prop H program reforms have been implemented.
     Community advocates are needed to push for more of these needed reforms. Parents are needed, especially those with children (or grandchildren) under 5th grade, as the likely attendees of a Prop H Alpine high school.
     Our kids are bused, or they drive, down the hill to distant high schools. A concern is safety in the hours that teens are driving on freeways and twisty roads to school. Otherwise they miss out on after school opportunities because of the distance and travel logistics.
     These commutes, the campus overcrowding, and facilities that are inadequate, are all concerns of parents. Quality teaching and learning suffers.
     California State and local politics, with business and finance considerations, having little to do with what is best for our kids, will weigh heavy on Prop H decisions. All five current members of the GUHSD governing board have publicly promised support for a new high school in the Alpine area. Will they renege on their words, and our trust?
     The Prop H Initiative is a bond. A bond is a binding security, also a firm assurance, a written obligation, and a fiduciary duty. It creates a relationship of good faith, loyalty, and trust to all stakeholders.
     Local stakeholders of the Prop H Bond can’t give up. We shouldn’t accept anyone’s questioning of the need for a high school in Alpine. We must get our teens out of their long commutes to high school, so they may safely spend this time more productively.
     Help the effort. Set aside time for important meetings. Be added to the AHSCC e-mail list by going to www.ahscc.com. Your voice is essential as Prop H policy is voted on and finalized. Thank you for your interest, and individual commitment to our kids.

     Bill Weaver is the Chairman of the Alpine High School Citizens Committee and a resident of Alpine. His opinions are not necessarily those of the AHSCC He can be reached at 445-1234; or e-mail him at b.weaver@usa.com. The Grossmont Solution Report is an opinion column written for The Alpine Sun.