Measure C Annual Report Tracks Bond Spending, Progress
An oversight committee of local residents has released its report to the community on 2012-13 spending by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District funded by Measure C, the district's $490.8 million general obligation bond program.
For environmental and fiscal reasons, the annual report of the Measure C Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee is available electronically at http://measurec.fhda.edu/AR1213 .
The report features photographs of Measure C projects that were started or completed in 2012-13, lists the committee's activities, and presents detailed financial information about the use of Measure C funds, including results of annual financial and performance audits. The audits found no instances of non-compliance.
Besides determining whether funds were spent only for the purposes approved by district voters in 2006, the committee is required by law to present an annual report to the district's Board of Trustees and inform the public about how Measure C bond funds are being spent and the progress being made.
In a letter to the community, committee chairman Dudley Andersen calls Measure C "an indispensable investment" in maintaining Foothill and De Anza college campuses as essential resources for enhancing educational opportunity and training residents for high-skilled jobs.
Among projects featured in the annual report are two award-winning buildings completed in 2012-13 - the Media & Learning Center at De Anza College and the Physical Sciences & Engineering Center at Foothill College. Both are models of environmental sustainability.
Seven years into the bond program, two-thirds of the funds have been spent to meet Measure C goals of upgrading and repairing aging buildings and systems; constructing, acquiring and equipping new buildings and other educational facilities; and improving access for people with disabilities. The largest remaining Measure C project is construction of an education center at the former Onizuka Air Force Station on land the district received for free in a public benefit conveyance from the Air Force. The center is expected to be operating at full strength by fall 2016.
Three district residents recently joined the oversight committee, replacing members whose terms expired in 2013. Los Altos resident Ellen Saliba brings finance, management and strategic planning experience to her position as at-large representative. Los Altos Hills resident Kelly Davis, a member of the Foothill-De Anza Foundation board of directors, is the new auxiliary organization representative. She is senior vice president and regional manager for Heritage Bank of Commerce. Student Evelynn Chun, a senator with the Associated Students of Foothill College, is the committee's student organization representative.
They join continuing members Andersen, a financial and business management consultant and the committee's business organization representative; attorney Robert Lancefield, taxpayers' association representative; retired school district superintendent and organizational development consultant Susan Silver, at-large representative; and William Dietz, a human resources consultant with a long career as a high-tech executive, senior citizens' organization representative.
Foothill-De Anza Community College District serves more than 60,000 students a year at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills and De Anza College in Cupertino. The district includes the communities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose.
More information about Measure C and the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee can be found at http://measurec.fhda.edu .
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Posted Feb. 7, 2014