San Mateo’s local community colleges are being converted into elite country clubs by management that’s out of touch with taxpayers who pay $200 million a year to sustain them.
Voters approved a bond to borrow $366 million (that’s about $700 million, including interest) to “upgrade” and “modernize” college facilities. No mention of building Olympic-size swimming pools and gyms, to be run by a private company. These facilities are not built for instruction, but so the district can sell gym memberships. The for-profit company running them conceals the actual charge (no brochures, nor on the website, you have to call a salesperson) but we taxpayers who fund the posh gym are charged $20 per dropin use. Voters approved some $1 billion in bonds for this district in the past 20 years.
