The Measure N and O oversight committee is winding down its responsibilities, but the acrimony between its chairwoman and Turlock Unified School District officials is showing no signs of cooling.
Committee chairwoman Lacy Elliott and former TUSD facilities manager Martell Taylor have contended for nearly two years that staff incompetence cost the district state matching funds of $8.4 million for modernization projects at Osborn Two-Way Immersion Academy — a charge the district disputes.
Additionally, Elliott holds that the district tried to camouflage the mistake by altering the minutes of a committee meeting, a claim the district also has denied.
In November 2016, Turlock voters overwhelmingly approved bond measures N and O, which provided a combined $80.8 million for improvement projects. With interest, it totaled more than $91 million. Combined with $25 million in additional funds, that computes to $116 million in total construction throughout the district.
At Monday’s three-hour meeting, both Elliott and Assistant Superintendent Barney Gordon, who has been the main target of Elliott’s ire, came armed with thick informational packets for the public to view.
Elliott made available a 140-page packet that she believes shows where the district went wrong, while Gordon provided informational packets of nearly 225 pages, showing how and where bond funds were spent.
Gordon admitted, however, that mistakes were made.
“We did lose the opportunity for new construction funding at Osborn, because we didn’t get (California Department of Education) approval,” said Gordon, who is set to retire on Oct. 31. “And that was due to the square-footage issue.”
In a letter to the district dated Oct. 3, 2022, the CDE warned that the Osborn project was not in compliance with state codes because the square-footage of kindergarten classrooms was not sufficient.
According to Taylor, it was the same mistake made by the same firm during renovations to Wakefield Elementary in 2018.
However, Gordon said that the district always intended to apply for modernization funds during the third and final phase of the Osborn project.
The distinction between “new construction” and “modernization” projects clouds the issue. Modernization funds cannot be granted for facilities less than 25 years old and are granted on a site-based calculation. New construction projects, meanwhile, are based on a district-wide calculation.
New committee members Allie Jeffery and James Price became outwardly impatient with the pace of the meeting.
“It’s frustrating the direction this conversation is headed,” said Price, who, like Jeffery, was appointed to the committee this year. “Our job is to look at how the money is spent. We’re so far in the weeds right now, it’s frustrating. We’ve got the same horse, in the same position, and we’ve been beating it for an hour now.”
Jeffery agreed.
“We’re talking in circles,” she said. “And we probably should have received some training after we joined the committee.”
Elliott, in turn, agreed with that assessment.
“I should have researched before I agreed to be on this committee,” said Elliott. “I’m done fighting with you, Barney. Congratulations on your retirement, but I’m done.”
Despite the complaints against him, Gordon praised the committee for its actions.
“The bond oversight committee did exactly what it should’ve done,” said Gordon.
All that’s left for the committee to do is to receive the independent audit and then make its final report to the TUSD board of trustees.
Only construction projects at Turlock High and Osborn have yet to be completed.
