X.-1 20-1195 Approval by the Board of Education of Amendment(s), Board Bylaw 9131 - Advisory and Oversight Committees, Commissions, further expanding the substantive role of the ... Citizens Bond Oversight Committee.
The proposed amendments (Agenda item: X-120-1195) for the Independent CBOC are essential to regain the public trust from the Oakland communities. Transparency, accountability and internal controls have been points described in Grand jury report and community outcries in recent years to fulfill by the stewardship from the school board and superintendent's office. The committee's responsibility is to represent the voters of Oakland who entrusted the OUSD to deliver the school site upgrades listed in bonds A, B, and J.
We witnessed how misappropriations and misguided decisions could have been prevented with adequate revisions however streamlined to approval. These amendments assure proper revision, recommendations, and detente on rushed decisions that impact current and future bond expenditures. I encourage the board members who believe in strong budget planning and fiscal solvency to vote 'Yes" to these amendments. We have the money to make our schools better- but lets spend it right!
Please bring these recommendations to the full Board at the next Board meeting. Please DO NOT delay action on them any further by sending them to the Facilities Committee. The Measure J program is still reeling from a Board decision to add hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unfunded projects to the project list. Several large were not completed, despite being promised to the voters. To keep this from happening again, the CBOC unanimously passed recommended changes to their oversight responsibilities LAST OCTOBER. For 8 months, the Facilities Committee did not bring them to the full Board nor was a vote held on them in the Facilities Cttee. Instead, minimal changes were brought forward a few weeks ago with the assurance to Board members that more were coming. However, we heard at the last CBOC meeting that more changes would not be forthcoming. These commonsense provisions are essential to a successful bond election in the fall and to a successful Bond program going forward.
As a new member to the CBOC, I support Bylaw 9131 and expanding our oversight capabilities. The CBOC’s primary responsibility is to inform the public concerning the expenditure of bond revenues. However, history has proven that more active and earlier involvement of the committee in the District's decision-making process would be helpful in maximizing bond revenues.
In CBOC’s report from '17-18, one of the key concerns identified was the “Lack of transparent and formal process for decision-making related to scoping and funding of projects named in the original bond language”. This process gap contributed to $160M of new projects with no identified resources for funding.
In order to best gain the trust of voters in order to pass future bonds a stronger prospective, not simply a retrospective approach seems more appropriate at this juncture. These changes will go a long ways in providing the committee the necessary pathways to advise and support the District on usage of bond revenues.
Years ago, a fateful vote reprioritized the projects promised to Measure J voters. That decision had cascading reverberations that threw our city's bond program into disarray. These changes sowed confusion and squandered both money and staff bandwidth. Tim White, upon rejoining the district, heroically did his best to sort through these challenges, restoring integrity to the promises made to Measure J voters while doing his best to make every dollar stretch. Even with those efforts, he needed to raid the remaining Measure B, developer fees and other funds.
When we talk about bond programs, we're talking about HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars of public funds. Please empower a citizen committee to review how these funds are used and make recommendations. Our staff-less district directors need transparency, accountability, and third-party opinions to make smart decisions.
I strongly urge you to support this proposal and give our bond program a chance to function at its highest level.
I support adding to the role of the Citizens' Facilities Oversight Bond Committee's roll as millions has been wasted under the current rules and something has to change.
But, I believe there is a legal flaw in this proposed amendment to BB 9131: "(6) Reviewing, and making advisory recommendations to the OUSD Board of Directors regarding proposed changes to the Voter Approved Project List and changes to the Facilities Master Plan that impact projects paid for by bond funds." The voter "Approved Project List" cannot be changed except the Board retains (rightly) the legal power to reprioritize the voters' approved list.
Past the power to reprioritize the voters' approved list was confused with the power to ADD to the list projects never voted by public. There lay the corruption of the past school boards' votes.
The proposed amendments (Agenda item: X-120-1195) for the Independent CBOC are essential to regain the public trust from the Oakland communities. Transparency, accountability and internal controls have been points described in Grand jury report and community outcries in recent years to fulfill by the stewardship from the school board and superintendent's office. The committee's responsibility is to represent the voters of Oakland who entrusted the OUSD to deliver the school site upgrades listed in bonds A, B, and J.
We witnessed how misappropriations and misguided decisions could have been prevented with adequate revisions however streamlined to approval. These amendments assure proper revision, recommendations, and detente on rushed decisions that impact current and future bond expenditures. I encourage the board members who believe in strong budget planning and fiscal solvency to vote 'Yes" to these amendments. We have the money to make our schools better- but lets spend it right!
Please bring these recommendations to the full Board at the next Board meeting. Please DO NOT delay action on them any further by sending them to the Facilities Committee. The Measure J program is still reeling from a Board decision to add hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unfunded projects to the project list. Several large were not completed, despite being promised to the voters. To keep this from happening again, the CBOC unanimously passed recommended changes to their oversight responsibilities LAST OCTOBER. For 8 months, the Facilities Committee did not bring them to the full Board nor was a vote held on them in the Facilities Cttee. Instead, minimal changes were brought forward a few weeks ago with the assurance to Board members that more were coming. However, we heard at the last CBOC meeting that more changes would not be forthcoming. These commonsense provisions are essential to a successful bond election in the fall and to a successful Bond program going forward.
As a new member to the CBOC, I support Bylaw 9131 and expanding our oversight capabilities. The CBOC’s primary responsibility is to inform the public concerning the expenditure of bond revenues. However, history has proven that more active and earlier involvement of the committee in the District's decision-making process would be helpful in maximizing bond revenues.
In CBOC’s report from '17-18, one of the key concerns identified was the “Lack of transparent and formal process for decision-making related to scoping and funding of projects named in the original bond language”. This process gap contributed to $160M of new projects with no identified resources for funding.
In order to best gain the trust of voters in order to pass future bonds a stronger prospective, not simply a retrospective approach seems more appropriate at this juncture. These changes will go a long ways in providing the committee the necessary pathways to advise and support the District on usage of bond revenues.
Years ago, a fateful vote reprioritized the projects promised to Measure J voters. That decision had cascading reverberations that threw our city's bond program into disarray. These changes sowed confusion and squandered both money and staff bandwidth. Tim White, upon rejoining the district, heroically did his best to sort through these challenges, restoring integrity to the promises made to Measure J voters while doing his best to make every dollar stretch. Even with those efforts, he needed to raid the remaining Measure B, developer fees and other funds.
When we talk about bond programs, we're talking about HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars of public funds. Please empower a citizen committee to review how these funds are used and make recommendations. Our staff-less district directors need transparency, accountability, and third-party opinions to make smart decisions.
I strongly urge you to support this proposal and give our bond program a chance to function at its highest level.
I support adding to the role of the Citizens' Facilities Oversight Bond Committee's roll as millions has been wasted under the current rules and something has to change.
But, I believe there is a legal flaw in this proposed amendment to BB 9131: "(6) Reviewing, and making advisory recommendations to the OUSD Board of Directors regarding proposed changes to the Voter Approved Project List and changes to the Facilities Master Plan that impact projects paid for by bond funds." The voter "Approved Project List" cannot be changed except the Board retains (rightly) the legal power to reprioritize the voters' approved list.
Past the power to reprioritize the voters' approved list was confused with the power to ADD to the list projects never voted by public. There lay the corruption of the past school boards' votes.