EL SEGUNDO HERALD October 25, 2018 Page 3
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Community Briefs
El Segundo High School Students
Achieve Top State Testing Scores
Among Area High Schools
El Segundo High School (ESHS)
ranked first among area high schools in
the 2018 California Assessment of Student
Performance and Progress (CAASPP) scores
for English Language Arts with 83.85 percent,
and Math with 72.17 percent, of 11th
grade students meeting or exceeding the
state standard. Every department at ESHS
collaborated to improve achievement and
support all students through measurable goals
and ongoing collaboration on instructional
interventions. Visit www.elsegundousd.net
for full story.
CAASPP 2017-18 ELA Scores – Top 6
El Segundo High 83.85%
Mira Costa High 82.77%
Palos Verdes Peninsula High 81.17%
Malibu High 79.29%
Santa Monica High 79.15%
Da Vinci Science 79.07%
CAASPP 2017-18 Math Scores – Top 6
El Segundo High 72.17%
Mira Costa High 71.46%
Palos Verdes Peninsula High 71.03%
South High 65.61%
Da Vinci Science 58.91%
West High 58.18%
– Source: El Segundo Unified School District
MEASURE ES
INFORMATIONAL MEETING:
Monday, October 29, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
El Segundo Public Library
Friends of the Library Room
111 W. Mariposa Street, El Segundo
El Segundo Unified School District invites parents, business
and community members to learn more about Measure ES
a $92M school bond measure on the ballot for the
November 6, 2018 General Election.
Hear a presentation that will outline the current facility needs
and address questions you may have.
Letters
Laurie Risk
On behalf of the El Segundo Kiwanis
Club I want to add my congratulations to
Crime Prevention Officer Laurie Risk. For
the more than 20 years I’ve been a member
of Kiwanis, Officer Risk has been a constant
presence when presenting our Good Citizen
Awards. She is like family to us! El Segundo
Kiwanis joins Women in Defense in recognizing
Officer Risk for her work on behalf
of our community.
– George Funk
No on ES
ESUSD arranged a massive bond/LOAN
for $92,000,000. How it works. ESUSD
will get ALL money, but ESUSD does not
make the payments, the property owners
and businesses of El Segundo will pay. We
will be paying this $92 million for decades,
except the final tally on this loan will cost
$193,428,000.00, which doesn’t count for
inflation, and no mention of how many
decades it’ll take. Again, we are told ES
schools are old and ESUSD needs this loan
for “repairs to the roof, electrical, plumbing
and safety for our students”.
Does this sound familiar? Check the wording
on ES mailer, you will find the same quotations
from bond measures C, E & M, all asking for
millions of dollars. I just got my property tax
bill, I’m still being forced to pay hundreds
of dollars for previous school bonds and the
District still has $37.08M in debt to pay from
measures: C ($7.13M until 2027), E ($15.95M
until 2028), M ($14M until 2033).
If the ESUSD repairs are so critical, what
happened to the millions from the other bonds
and why were millions spent to build this “pet
project” outdoor aquatic lap pool in the middle
of an industrial center located in the Wiseburn
School District not the ESUSD? Also, ESUSD
made agreements to pay for services/
maintenance, costing hundreds of thousands of
dollars annually for something located miles
from any El Segundo school? Someone should
investigate these backroom deals. NO on ES.
– Marc Rener
Prop 218
Homeowners and renters pay for water.
We pay for electricity, gas and sewer—in
fact, we all pay a LOT for our utilities. So
why don’t we pay for trash service? Why
has that traditionally been subsidized by our
City mainly for single family homes? Apartment
buildings and larger multi-family units
have always paid for their refuse collection,
so why do single family homes not?
I have absolutely no problem with Prop
218 because it transitions the fiscal responsibility
from the City to the residents who
use the services, where it truly belongs.
Prop 218 isn’t about taxing people beyond
their means: it’s about paying our fair share,
paying for a utility, just as we would for
water, power, or sewer. It has the potential
to help reduce the amount of trash that our
residents produce by offering incentives for
recycling and organic waste collection. And
the potential for anti-idling technology and
automatic trash collection for the trucks is a
real opportunity for our community.
In short – I understand the concerns of
residents regarding service fees – it IS a bit
of a financial burden. But I think it’s a burden
worth shouldering, for the benefit of our community
so that these General Fund monies
can go towards things that truly benefit ALL
residents, such as police and fire services as
well as public works maintenance.
– Tesse Rasmussen •
Obituaries
In Loving Memory
Richard J. Switz
May 18, 1928 - October 14, 2018
Richard ‘Dick’ Switz was born
in a farmhouse in Switz City,
Indiana, son of Henry ‘Bud’ and
Lucille Switz. He grew up with
brothers Donald and Hal working
the family farm in a town named
for his great-grandfather. Richard
graduated from Purdue University
earning a BS in Civil Engineering.
He served two years in the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
in the Pentagon, where he met
Bernadette Rendish. Richard and Bernadette
married on June 5, 1954.
Richard spent most of his career with Hughes
Aircraft, moving to El Segundo in 1966. He
was a key part of designing Surveyor - the
first spacecraft to successfully soft-land on the
Moon to prepare for the Apollo astronauts’
future arrival. After retiring, Dick served four
years on the El Segundo City Council. He and
Bernadette were parishioners of St. Anthony’s
for over 50 years.
Bernadette passed away in
August 2010; he joined her after
passing peacefully at Torrance
Memorial Hospital surrounded by
family. He is survived by children
Jim Switz and Rita Nelson (both
of WA State) and Lauren Harger
of Manhattan Beach, grandchildren
Laura Skobin, Jenna Nelson,
Sean and Megan Harger and
great-grandchildren Linken and
Olia Skobin.
He enjoyed music, photography, traveling,
time with family and friends and adored
his grand/great-grandkids. A funeral was
held October 23, 2018 at American Martyrs
Catholic Church and Richard was interred
with Bernadette at Holy Cross Cemetery. In
lieu of flowers, the family would prefer those
who remember him to hold warm thoughts
and memories. •
LADWP Meeting Addresses
Scattergood Noise Complaints
A recent meeting led by the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (LADWP) addressed
noise complaints from the neighboring
Scattergood Generating Station operations.
El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyles, City Manager
Greg Carpenter and Senior Assistant
Mickie Tagle were on-hand, along with a
dozen local residents and LADWP officials.
LADWP worked with the City of El Segundo
to send out a postcard to invite approximately
2,700 residents to the meeting. The presentation
reviewed the current state of reassessing
repowering projects in the City of Los Angeles,
a broad overview of the Scattergood plant, explanation
of the noise from Generating Units 4
and 5, and short-term and long-term mitigation.
Attendees requested improved communications
and reporting regarding complaints, noise
data, and notifications when Units 4 and 5
will start up. LADWP will investigate sound
mitigation methods and explore developing a
communication plan.
Additional requests were related to the area
See Community Briefs, page 13
El Segundo School Board Views
Presentations Prior to Election
By Duane Plank
Two weeks prior to one of arguably the
most pivotal local elections in recent years,
the El Segundo School Board, which will
replace at least two members post the Nov.
6 vote, heard a plethora of special presentations
during Tuesday evening’s nearly
2.5-hour meeting.
Residents head to the polls on Nov. 6 to
not only decide on the fate of a $92 million
school bond ask that would help fund El Segundo
Unified School District’s Long-Range
Facilities Master Plan, but also select three
Board members --- with current members Dr.
Bill Watkins and Dr. Jim Garza not running
for reelection, and current Board President
Emilee Layne seeking a second term.
A state-of-the-school presentation, the
third of the 2018/19 school year, highlighted
Tuesday’s agenda. Center Street School
(CSS) Principal Martha Monahan was initially
front-and-center, as she and Assistant
Principal Grace Long, Literacy Specialist
Kristen McCann, and second grade teacher
Mychala Barnes delineated data about the
past and present, and outlined next steps as
the school year churns forward.
The presentation kicked off with a quick
summation of the school’s mission statement:
“We enjoy the process of becoming problem
solvers and life-long learners.” It then noted
the highlights of the 2017/18 school year,
including achieving the accolades that come
with being selected a California Green Ribbon
School; growth in California state-mandated
test scores; as well as implementing Chromebooks
into the educational experience.
Next, student demographics were displayed
(there has been a very slight enrollment
decrease this school year). It was noted that
daily attendance has been holding steady and
that overall test scores have been rising. After
highlighting the data, the CSS group spoke
See School Board, page 15