Citizens' Oversight Committee Community Report December 2003

Dear Community Members,

Thanks for your continued support of education and your interest in the Building for Success program, funded by the Proposition U bond measure passed in November 2002. Proposition U is the $198 million local school facilities bond program to modernize 24 older schools in the Poway Unified School District.

A provision in the Proposition U measure required the formation of a Citizens’ Oversight Committee to oversee the bond measure and review and inform the public regarding the expenditure of the bond funds. This Community Report will provide an update on the activities and expenditures of the Building for Success program.

The Citizens’ Oversight Committee (COC) has continued to carry out its mission of monitoring and oversight of the program through regular meetings, receiving updates from PUSD’s facility staff and the Building for Success program management team. Specific activities included:

Reviewing and receiving the 2003/2004 fiscal year Performance and Financial Audit for the program in January 2005. This was the first audit completed since the Building for Success program began.
Performing a site inspection of the new classroom facility at Mt. Carmel High School.
Briefing the PUSD Board of Education on the status of the Building for Success program in November 2004.
Receiving updates from the PUSD staff on their successful efforts to find additional funding for the projects and manage the increasing costs of construction.
Having one member of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee attend the monthly Board of Education meetings.

We are pleased to report that the Building for Success program is going very well. Four projects are under construction, with 90 contracts valued at $60.3 million. Most of the bond funds being spent are staying in our community and benefiting our local economy. Although the work is competitively bid, nearly all of the contracts have been awarded to small and medium-sized local companies.

Design work on another five schools has begun and the estimated timeline, accelerated with the implementation of “Bridge Financing” last year, continues to be met. What remains to be seen, is what impact this extreme rainy season will have on our projects. You may be assured that the Building for Success program team is constantly evaluating the situation, finding creative ways to meet the challenges, and briefing the COC on the outcomes.

Sincerely,
Kathy Frost
Citizens’ Oversight Committee Chair

Construction Timeline | Current Project Status | Objectives & Challenges
Performance & Financial Audit | Accomplishments | Budget Overview
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