Opinion: Reopening Excelsior High School would be a step backwards
By Bryan Lopez
Holding our elected officials accountable is neither an easy task nor a task for the faint of heart. As individuals we must compete with well-connected politicians, special interests, and the ever-present political spin. We hope our representatives have the best interest of the community at heart when making decisions that affect our lives. Sometimes, all we have are media outlets that may bring some of these issues to light.
As a Norwalk resident and former commissioner, I try to stay connected with important decisions made at city hall and at our local school district. This past week, I noted that the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District is considering re-opening Excelsior High School, a campus closed since 1981, for the purpose of moving Southeast Military Academy students there. Given the serious school issues being dealt within the district regarding declining enrollment, school closures, and the safety of the students, is this truly in the best interest of our children?
A mere 15-months ago an 11-member District Advisory Committee of administrators, made up of non-certified employees, parents, and teachers recommended closing Dulles and Foster Road elementary schools in La Mirada; Chavez, Edmondson, and Johnston elementary schools in Norwalk; and Los Coyotes Middle School in La Mirada and Waite Middle School in Norwalk. Yup, that is a total of seven schools! Why?
Well, student enrollment in the district has been consistently declining since 2004. The numbers are down from 22,019 in 2004 to 16,881 in 2019 and are estimated to be 12,915 in 2030. These recommendations were estimated to save the district nearly $5.4 million.
In late 2020, Estuardo Santillan, assistant superintendent of business services, stated that if schools are not closed, “the budget would be negative in almost five years…The impact will be unequal access to many supports and services offered throughout the district. This includes programs and staffing associated with supporting these programs.” Two schools were eventually closed — Chavez Elementary and El Camino Junior High.
For anyone keeping count —that makes a total of four schools closed in the last ten years.
What will be the costs of upgrading the old buildings at Excelsior? The campus was built in 1923 and would need upgrading to ensure it is up to code. Will Measure G funds be used for that effort? La Mirada high school recently upgraded its gymnasium and locker rooms to the tune of twenty-five million of Measure G funds. Are these the high costs we should expect by moving the two hundred students from Southeast Academy to Excelsior? It is obvious that from a financial standpoint, seeking these efforts will bring additional costs that may have far-reaching affects to our children. Why is the school board not thinking this through?
When Measure G was passed in 2014, it was touted as being needed for “repairing drainage systems, leaking roofs and decaying walls; updating computer, science and math lab technology; upgrading fire safety systems including safety doors, fire proofing, smoke alarms, and detectors; upgrading school security and fencing; and updating technology for twenty-first century learning.” Are the other schools in the district going to get the shaft in order to upgrade Excelsior?
My hope is that this decision is not motivated by those seeking political expediency on the backs of the education of our children. That would be shameful. I can only hope that board member Morrison will remember what she said at the end of 2020 regarding the depleting student population and its effects on our precious school system.
These are her words: “We do have a fiscal responsibility to our school district…It would be a terrible thing to be taken over by the state.”
Bryan Lopez is a former social services commissioner and resides in Norwalk.