No to Taj Mahals

Editor,

It is bad enough that taxpayers are burdened with property tax increases to pay for new Porterville Unified School District schools, but the new schools have to be “Taj Mahals,” with all the deluxe, expensive features possible. Examples of excesses: the six-figure costs for design and architecture fees when many plans of previous schools could be used; the $700,000 cost of athletic field artificial turf at Granite Hills High School; compensating part-time board members with full-time benefits, etc. Everyone in Porterville with a personal family budget will pay for the proposed PUSD bonds either through higher property tax or higher rent.

PUSD: Tighten your profligate belts. Taxpayers are weary of the excesses of bureaucracies. A prudent place to start economizing would be reducing administrative salaries. Taxpayers should rebel when they realize their increased property tax includes the five-figure annual costs of the athletic field artificial turf grooming, and the cleaning and repairing the acres of solar panels. Even though projects such as these are sometimes partially funded by government grants (also taxpayer borne), most of the costs are paid for by local taxpayers.

Taxpayers should reject the arrogant attitude of “whatever PUSD fancies, the taxpayers will fund it.” This attitude is especially inappropriate with today’s economic difficulties.

Russell Penrose
Porterville