Tuesday, May 27, 2008

FHS Students Doing Their Part

The FHS ASB President Chelsie Clark and Secretary Jason Finkbonner have decided to organize a student walk-out, to protest the cuts made to educational staff and faculty in the district.

This should draw media attention and spread awareness in the community about the issue.

I have posted a link to their YouTube Video which explains their intent, and hope you all have a chance to see the video and show your support for our young leaders. The link is titled FHS Students Doing Their Part and is in the upper right corner of the screen.

Change Ferndale admires your dedication to education in the FSD and hopes that both Chelsie and Jason succeed in spreading awareness about the issue.

We look forward to working with you to meet the needs of the district.

Norbert Rojsza

Change Ferndale

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Voters Are Speaking And We Hear You

For all who wish to see the election results for the May 20 bond a link is provided in the top right corner of this web page under the title Whatcom County Election Information.

As of May 20, 2008 8:24 PM the Whatcom County Auditor shows: 50.2% approved bond and 49.8% rejected the bond. The bond needs 60% to pass.

It looks unlikely that the bond will pass. We anticipate this trend to continue and will post new information about what our next steps will be shortly.

We thank all who visited the website and expressed their opinion and extend that invitation further. We also greatly thank those working on the ground to educate the public and ultimately defeat the bond. We look forward to working with you all in the coming months.

This is not the end but rather a good start in the beginning. The road to change is both difficult and long but like all things difficult and long the rewards will be plentiful and what we will earn from our efforts will be, quite literally, what we deserve. Good fortune is only as useful as we make it, with your help we have started the road of change and only with you can we get to what change we desire, and we will get there my friends.

Thank you all, keep up the good work

Sunday, April 27, 2008

FSD Hosts Public Meeting On $21 Million Bond

On April 23 the FSD hosted the "May 2008 Capital Projects Bond Community Forum." A chance for the community to ask questions about the bond, we welcome these opportunities and encourage such forums.


We wanted to make sure that we had some of our more pressing questions answered. We did get answers and here they are:

Q: 1) Does the board have a plan B should the may bond fail? If so what is it?

A: FSD answer was that the district would not do anything with Custer elementary if the bond failed. The districts reasoning was that the FSD did not want to spend money on, in their judgement, insufficient options. there where no comment on North Bellingham.

Q: 2) Of the $3.6 million bond approved by the voter in 2006 for the upgrades of Custer elementary, how much of that money has gone to the repairs of Custer elementary?

A: FSD answer was none of it.

Q: 3) How long will the community be paying off the $21 million bond, if approved?

A: FSD answer was 17 years.

Q: 4) Will the FSD be able to finance any additional projects in the near future without affecting property taxes?

A: FSD answer was that is difficult to determine.

Q: 5) In the next 10 year time frame, what are additional projects the FSD plans to propose and how much will they cost the taxpayer?

A: FSD answer was very lengthy and not very specific, the conclusion was that they will have projects to propose and they will cost money.

Q: 6) In light of the North Bellingham structural deficiency discovery, does the FSD have a comprehensive survey play in place to prevent structural surprises, in the other schools, in the future?

A: FSD answer was yes we do.

Q: 7) How much less in taxes will we pay if the bond fails?

A: FSD answer was we will pay $1.02 on every $1000 assessed property value if the bond fails and we will pay $1.34 on every $1000 assessed property value if the bond passes. The example was given that on a $300,000 home property taxes would decrease by roughly $100 if the May bond fails.



We where not satisfied with the caliber of answer we received on questions 2, 4, 5, 6. We would appreciate if the an official representative of the FSD could visit the Change Ferndale website and more completely answer these questions.

I hope that this information is helpful to those who could not make it. On that note the Ferndale Planning Commission had their last regular meeting regarding big box retail at the same time and date. This was the last opportunity for members of the community to comment publicly before the issue goes, with recommendations, to the city council.

Large retail development is the most important economical issue facing Ferndale, and its outcome will have huge implications for the tax base, the community, and also education. We would hope that in the future the FSD would coordinate their own meetings with the regularly schedualed city meetings, so that members of the community can have the opportunity to attend both and not have to choose one or the other.

Thank you

Friday, April 18, 2008

$21 Million Extra Debt

Starting May 3, ballots will be sent to registered voters to consider the $21 million bond issue. This money will be used to demolish historic Custer elementary school, and replace it with a brand new school, and demolish and replace one concrete building in North Bellingham elementary school.

Change Ferndale does not support this bond for the following reasons:

1) In 2006, a $3.6 million bond was approved by the voters to improve Custer elementary school. Without voter approval, the Ferndale School District (FSD) decided to use $ 1 million on the design plans for a new school according to the district's data.

2) Custer elementary is a historic landmark built back in 1936 by the Work Progress Administration (WPA an organization created to combat the high unemployment during the great depression), and the identity of the Custer community. To tear it down would damage the community by removing a testament to an important part US history, and rob the next generations of part of their heritage FOREVER.

3) According to the precinct by precinct results a majority of Custer residents did not support the $21 million bond, ran in March 2008, to replace their school.

4) The school chose to re-run the March bond request, which failed to achieve its 60% majority. The May bond is the same as the March bond. The FSD has ignored the wishes of the district voters, which constitutes a failure on the part of the FSD to respond to the wishes of the voters.

5) The new Custer school would increase enrolment slots at the Custer elementary school by 30-40 slots. We believe this is too little progress for $21 million.

6) Bad economic timing makes this increase in debt for our community a foolish and dangerous proposition. Land owners will pay for it with their property taxes, those renting property will pay for it because landlords will pass the tax to their tenant's, and the community will have an even harder time providing its residents with affordable housing. We believe that this expensive bond will prevent some families from their dream of home ownership, and perhaps drive families out of their homes.

7) The level of deceit (exhibited in point 1) combined with the arrogant nature of the FSD (exhibited in point 4) and their total lack of regard for the people their policy will be impacting (exhibited in points 2 & 6) make Change Ferndale sceptical of entrusting $21 million of our tax dollars to their pet project.

For these reasons we urge a NO vote on the May ballot for the $21 million bond issue.

Our position is that renovation, not demolition, will be both a cost effective and proactive way to ensure the children have a safe school and the taxpayer is not burdened with wasteful and harmful policy.

Until the FSD can provide these changes we urge a NO vote on the $21 million bond issue.

Thank you for your interest.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Our first meeting a success

Yes we had a good turn out, and the record journal sent a reporter to cover the story.

We now have this site (changeferndale.blogspot.com), spread the word when you can. The more people know about us the better.

Our first move will be to gather a small amount of money so that we may get signs posted around Ferndale stating our position.

All we must do after that is keep spreading the word about the website.

We believe when people get the facts and have a chance to hear the full story they will be compelled to support our position on the $21 million bond issue.

That being said lets keep at it people, we are winning the fight and we will defeat this wasteful bond. We can then focus our attention on fixing the problem's at North Bellingham elementary and Custer elementary by proposing renovations to our historic schools, not demolition.

Thanks and good luck