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Ms. Testa stated that she does not think there has been proper acknowledgment of the <br />overcrowding in the existing schools. She indicated that it has been a long 20 -year <br />mantra of hers to mitigate the overcrowding in schools, which has continued to grow <br />and develop. She noted that PUSD has tried to downplay the severity of the situation in <br />the community, and it says it may not even feel the need for another elementary school <br />in the area when the reality is that every school in the District is significantly <br />over - capacity, even prior to the approval of the 3,000 units in the rezoned sites. She <br />indicated that even one elementary school would not come close to offsetting and <br />correcting the burden of overcrowding that already exists in the schools because the <br />greatest burden of overcrowding is at the high schools, where there no thought or <br />possibility or opportunity of adding additional space. <br />Ms. Testa stated that in 2011, PUSD put out a school facilities fee justification report <br />which says that the District's current projected enrollment is larger than the pupil <br />capacity, which means that based on State classroom counts, the District, therefore, <br />does not have sufficient capacity to house students generated by future development. <br />She noted that these students will require the District to acquire new school facilities, <br />and PUSD is saying it is not sure it wants to build another school. She indicated that <br />what the community needs to fully understand that this will impact not only the nearby <br />neighborhood but the entire City of Pleasanton, everybody who cares about the schools <br />and about property values, because this will have a serious negative impact on traffic <br />and commuting to schools as well as on the value of and quality of life at these schools. <br />She added that current residents will be asked to pay additional bonds and taxes to <br />offset this, once things hit critical conditions. <br />Ms. Testa stated that the 2011 report says that PUSD has 1,847 un- housed students, <br />that its student - classroom ratio is at 118 percent over capacity, but what it is not saying <br />is that the situation is so much worse at the student -land ratio, which, for Amador High <br />School, for example, is at 160 percent over capacity today. She indicated that she <br />understands the RHNA numbers; she understands that the District is an independent <br />body and that there is limited authority to tell the District what to do, but the Planning <br />Commission has the General Plan, its guideline, which spells out the expectation and <br />the quality of life for the City's schools and specifically calls out school size. She <br />pointed out that it is the Commission's responsibility to not be like ostriches with their <br />heads in the sand, ignoring this serious condition. She stated that she will give staff, <br />and ask staff to provide a copy to the Commission, a list of all the documents and all the <br />sites for all of the information on every school site size, land size, and current capacity. <br />She added that the reason the District is not asking to build another school is because it <br />has gotten itself into a $28,000,000 facility debt, and so as many houses are built, <br />overburdening existing campuses will continue, resulting in negatively affecting the <br />quality of life, not only at the campuses but throughout the community. <br />Chair Blank stated that he has personally known the next speaker, Sherry Barclay, for <br />many, many years and that they have not discussed this matter. He added that he did <br />not know that Ms. Barclay was going to be at the meeting this evening. <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, May 22, 2013 Page 17 of 41 <br />