This article, originally published by Al Zucaro on BocaWatch.org, is preserved for historical purposes by Massive Impressions Online Marketing in Boca Raton.
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Using Board of Education documents, Jack McWalter shows how, for 10 years or more, Boca’s City Council passed the buck on school overcrowding and funded dozens of new schools outside of Boca.
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Every homeowner in PBC is paying for schools throughout PBC. We pay taxes and the school board decides how to use that money, not the residents. There is no doubt that there is overcrowding in Boca schools and in schools throughout the county. Boca is approving developments left and right and so is the county. I am a native of Florida and we have always had a problem with schools and roads keeping up with development. I live in unincorporated PBC and the kids in my neighborhood also go to Boca High and Boca Middle so it’s not just city of Boca Raton kids that go to those schools. Development has been approved for the Mizner Trail Golf course so sooner or later, there will more kids going to those schools from unincorporated PBC.
As for Boca getting a new school, where would they put it? Is there any available land in Boca? I’m not in favor of taking land from Sugar Sand to build a school. The traffic is already a nightmare at rush hour on Palmetto Park Road and Military Trail.
There’s no easy answers. While Boca Raton residents are considering who to vote for, don’t forget that Commissioner Abrams is vacating his seat due to term limits. If PBC residents want a better quality of life for themselves and their families, then we should also vote for a PBC commission replacement that is not pro-development. I get why people want to move here but without proper planning, the quality of life diminishes for all of us.
Please look back over the past 3 years, Jeremy Rodgers has not brought a single substantive idea to our Council. Remember, he wanted to annex Highland Beach? They and we were aghast at his lame idea. Boca residents need to elect Council members who are leaders. Jeremy is a follower. He comes to meetings unprepared. His stance on the sale of the Boca golf course was laughable. Please, we need Council members who are vibrant, creative, insist on transparency and work for the people, not Jeremy who brings his rubber stamp to meetings supporting the gross overdevelopment of our town and works against residents while taking money form the other side. We have a shining example of what the people expect. In her first year in office, Andrea O’Rourke was the first to object to the Mayor’s improprieties with Investments Ltd, to demand attention from the School Board, to insist on the creation of a plan for midtown, supporting resident comments.. Not Jeremy, not a word, sitting mum. Jeremy wanted to double the residential density on University Village, he voted for more development on Yamato saying, “What are we supposed to do, stop approving development until schools catch up?’ That’s Jeremy, no plan, just approve. He is paid to approve by the big money people who support him.
Your choice: a known anti-resident follower developer plant on Council like Rodgers or a smart, well educated and experienced scrapper who represents the best of what is so great about America and Boca Raton – KIM DO