Pardue distances himself from bond vote fallout at MVUSD meeting
1TVPAC Team
It was almost as if trustees were having two separate discussions at the Jan. 23 MVUSD board meeting. While most board members were focused on the issue of overcrowded schools, one trustee was focused on self-preservation as he downplayed redistricting complications.
During the June, July, and August board meetings, MVUSD Board President Nick Pardue repeatedly blocked a bond from the November ballot for parents to vote on district funds. The vote would have been for a bond to allow the district financial flexibility to deal with projected growth using Prop 39 spending guidelines, with no changes to property taxes. Pardue blocked it from appearing on the ballot even though an approved bond would have also been eligible for matching state funds.
The lack of financial support from the bond has complicated redistricting and adjusting school boundaries, especially at the elementary level.
“The discussion of attendance boundaries and a new school is different than attendance boundaries without a new school,” Superintendent Ward Andrus said at the June 13 meeting after Pardue voted against parents' voting rights.
At the January meeting, the board continued the redistricting discussion with deputy superintendent Darren Daniel and the consulting firm, Woolpert. As Pardue continued his attempts to distance himself from the fallout of his bond vote, he repeatedly referenced decreasing enrollment and even cast doubt on the consulting firm’s future projections.
“We are projecting out to 2035. We have no idea,” Pardue said. “A lot of things I’m reading about and seeing with my own eyes. Personal experience does not necessarily mean those projections are spot on.”
Even though the majority of the enrollment decline is due to half-day programs like TK and Kindergarten, Pardue attempted to use the numbers to downplay redistricting complications. He continued to ignore larger issues and focused on enrollment as he tried to erase his responsibility for blocking parents' voting rights.
“Nod your head if you are aware,” Pardue told Daniel. “Since our bond discussion about needing a new school and our projections, and now we have a decreasing enrollment, but that decreasing enrollment gives us some wiggle room?”
Daniel refused to take the bait.
“Bond or no bond I think this process is imminent,” Daniel said. “In order for us to be good stewards of our facilities, I think it’s the right thing to do. It’s not easy though.”
Pardue continued his attempts to put distance between his bond vote and the current redistricting complications by peppering Daniel with the same question.
“But our projections do give us more wiggle room right?” asked Pardue, questioning Daniel to try and escape his own responsibility. However, Daniel explained again that the decrease was mostly in the half-day programs.
“Most of the declining enrollment is in our TK/K,” he said. “The west side is something we are going to have to continue to keep our focus on. I don’t want to give you a kind of crystal ball.”
Daniel avoided Pardue’s attempts to clear his name from the consequences of his bond vote while also emphasizing the realities of future growth.
“About a year and a half ago, the city came and said to us, ‘News flash, you have about 6,000 new front doors that are getting ready to open in the next few years’,” Daniel said. “Since that conversation and the work we’ve been studying, it’s about 8,000 front doors. The growth in this community is real.”
Pardue has also tried to deflect his responsibility on his social media platforms, encouraging people to follow his accounts and stating “There is a lot of bad information put out there and I want you to stay as informed as possible.”
Pardue continues to try and distance himself from his bond vote as residents are starting to experience the complications from the bond failing to appear on the November ballot.
The board is expected to be closer to making a final redistricting decision at the next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.
