It is easy to spend others’ money, and that is exactly what proponents of the Alan Harvey Theater renovations are advocating.
In tough economic times, with fluctuating state support for public education and a massive dependence on private donations, Piedmont cannot justify public debt to fund an unnecessary renovation that benefits a select few students.
The School Board recently moved to support a $14.5 million dollar measure to rebuild the Alan Harvey Theater. The measure, scheduled to appear on the June 3 ballot, would enable the district to issue bonds to fund the renovations; the bonds would be paid off over 13 years.
The magnitude of this project astounds me, $14.5 million dollars of public debt in exchange for a new and improved theater. To put that in context, the PUSD budget for 2012-2013 was just under $29 million dollars. Parents and communities members are continually asked to contribute to the schools in the name of better education for their children, yet the School Board has just proposed the expenditure of the equivalent of a half year’s budget for the entire school district. This constitutes financial absurdity.
Beyond the denial of fiscal reality inherent in the School Board’s proposal, they have failed to address the needs of the student body. The theater is admittedly not in great shape, but its condition does not warrant stripping it down to its supports and rebuilding it entirely.
In 2007, when PUSD buildings were being assessed for structural integrity, the Theater was deemed sufficient, and left untouched. Since then, the seating has been found lacking, and its replacement has been deemed to be a priority. Such a priority that the School Board has earmarked half a million to upgrade the seating. But the money is going nowhere because they want to build a whole new theater at massive expense.
When I spoke to students about the theater and potential improvements, there was one complaint that I heard most often: the floor gives people splitters. An unmaintained floor is obviously a problem, but not one that warrants a near-demolition and the squander of millions of dollars; it is a problem that could resolved with a tiny fraction of the money that the Board plans to spend on their renovations. Fix the seats and stage floor, leave the Theater alone, and dodge the debt.
The School Board states that they desire for PHS to be identified as a performing arts high school, but this neglects the students that are uninvolved in the performing arts. The money required to fund the renovations could be put to use on something that would benefit the entire student body, such as reducing class sizes or improving facilities utilized by all students, not just those in the performing arts. And yet the School Board proposes to spend 13 years in debt to pay off a theater that Piedmont cannot afford.
The public can only be taxed so much, and private donors do not have bottomless pockets to empty. When we ask the community to contribute to our schools, we must consider the repercussions: in this case, the loss of opportunity. Should the School Board’s plans come to fruition, taxpayers will be that much more reluctant to approve future school taxes, and Piedmont schools will have that much of a harder time asking for private contributions.
Without the recognition that theater renovations are a colossal waste of money, the bond measure may well pass. Saddling the school with a massive financial obligation for an unnecessary project of limited value is unacceptable, and the School Board needs to hear it.
