EDITORIAL – Enough is enough! I was recently made aware of a letter that is circulating through-out the Central Valley high school track & field community accusing the Madera Unified School District, specifically Madera South High School of “institutional racism”. The letter was written by a frequent flyer at the public comments podium for both the Madera City Council and Madera Unified Board of Trustee meetings, Ron Montoya a Medical Social Worker for Valley Home Care.

Montoya was a 2010 board of trustee candidate for the Madera Unified School District but was trounced by Maria Velarde-Garcia in the general election (45.8% to 24.7%) and is now talking about a run for the Madera City Council against Donald Holley in District Six. Montoya was also a part of the recall efforts against Madera Mayor Andrew Medillian (acting along with Khalid Chaudhry of Ripon and developer Michael Pistoresi).

Montoya starts his letter off by asking the question, “How do you expect student athletes at Madera South High School track team compete without adequate track equipment?” What he fails to mention anywhere in his letter is the $8.5 million Madera South High School track project that has been in the works for several years and broke ground late last year. The project will upgrade the current facility with an all-weather track and artificial grass field that will be used for football, soccer and of course track & field events. The facility will also include a permanent snack bar, restrooms, box office and upgraded fencing.

He would have known about this planned track & field facility improvement had he bothered to show up for the multiple Madera Unified Athletic Facilities Workshops the district held last year that were open to the public. The board room at the District Office was standing room only with someone from every stakeholder group in attendance. He might have even realized there was an upcoming project for the track & field facility had he just looked up and seen the $300k lights that went into the complex just three years ago.

Montoya then questions why there is no pole vaulting equipment at the current Madera South Track. Despite it being explained to him, he does not understand that current pole vaulters use the facilities at Madera’s Memorial Stadium for their practice. As do many other current Madera South track athletes in other categories. The new facility, according to Madera Unified District Athletic Director Marty Bitter, which should be completed by late-August of 2019, will include facilities for all CIF sanctioned track & field events including pole vaulting.

The future city council candidate then states, “Our student athletes do not have enough uniforms, our student athletes do not have enough spikes for their shoes, and this list never ended.” But he didn’t do his homework yet again to learn that last year over $39k was spent on just Cross County and Track ($7800 on sweats and another $3600 on uniforms alone), and the MUSD budget for high school completive sports is north of $300k (none of these numbers include salaries and stipends). Other funding for sports programs come from gate receipts, donations and fundraising. I wonder if Mr. Montoya would sign a petition for a school bond specifically for sports like Clovis Unified School District has passed several times over the last thirty-plus years?

Montoya says, “Do not treat our students athletes like second class citizens. This is the classic definition of institutional racism.  These “our” the consequences of gerrymandering.” I think he meant to say “ARE” but I could write a completely separate editorial on this man’s grammar and I know that even I from time to time have a “couple” typos. What I do know is that there is no one at Madera South High School or the Madera Unified School District that is treating ANY student as a second class citizen. The men and women of Madera Unified bust their asses every day to provide OUR students with a first class education and are proud of OUR students’ achievements on and off the field of sports.

Then Montoya finishes his letter with the same old rant we who attend local city council and school board meetings have been hearing from him for years, “My property taxes are too high and it’s Madera County Supervisor Robert Poythress fault or it’s Madera Mayor Andy Medellin’s fault.” He is often heard at meetings accusing the local elected officials of breaking the law and how they should be ashamed of the things they have done.

To me the only thing Mr. Montoya has proven is that he is a BULLY. He attacks our elected officials with nothing more than rumor and innuendo. He doesn’t do his homework nor does he possess the ability to understand how local government even works. Like Donald Trump, he “hears things” and takes those things as fact and runs around town like “Chicken Little” screaming the sky is falling.

In 2016 Mr. Montoya yelled at the city council because his property taxes on his Peach Court home he and his wife purchased from KB Homes Development had gone up around $500 a month due to the “community funding district” or as it is also called, a Mello-Roos District. Montoya told the Madera Tribune at the time, “That was the first time we were aware we were in a Mello-Roos District.”

What Mr. Montoya won't say when he is yelling at the school board or city council about property tax is he and his wife never read his ESCROW PAPERS where the community funding district is clearly spelled out. When a group from the city of Madera, which included Mr. Poythress, Mr. Medellin, former city administrator David Tooley and others, came to his house to go over his paper work they showed him were the escrow papers clearly spelled out the terms of the “community funding district” and what would happen and when it would happen.  His wife told the group from the city, "We never read those."

So even when this guy signs contracts for the purchase of a $200k house he does not do his homework but then spends the next two years blaming others for his mistake. So the next time you see Ron at a local meeting screaming at our elected officials, ask him why he doesn’t do his due diligence (that’s homework Ron) before he goes off half-cocked?

Chicken Little – “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!”  No Ron that is just rain......

Ron Montoya photo courtesy of the Madera Tribune

Ron Montoya's Original Letter Regarding the Madera South Track & Field Program (unedited)

Subject: Madera South Track Team

Good evening, how do you expect student athletes at Madera South High School track team compete without adequate track equipment?  Myself along with a room full of parents were alarmed and felt a sense of paralysis by learning that Madera Unified School District is not providing no pole volting equipment, our student athletes use disgusting landing pads, our student athletes do not have enough uniforms, our student athletes do not have enough spikes for their shoes, and this list never ended. Additionally, our parents found out that Madera Unified School District continues to utilize the same 2009 budget for student athletes and added sports at the elementary school.  How do you think our student/athletes  feel when they traveling to Clovis High School, Buchanan High School, Sanger Unified, Arcadia,  and understand that Madera Unified is not providing the resources that students/coaches deserve/earn? Our Coaches and student/athletes deserve better. Do not treat our students athletes like second class citizens. This is the classic definition of institutional racism.  These our the consequences of gerrymandering. Where is the common sense? How does MUSD expect to keep our Coaches  from taking other jobs at other school districts that provide the support and equipment to their student athetles?  Where is the vision?  Trustee Fleak you came to my home a week before Election Day spoke to my wife and said, “it’s all about the kids and I will have monthly town halls.” Well it’’s time for action. Don’t come to my home in three and half years asking for my vote if nothing is done.  Madera Unified School District has 10% in reserves which is between $27,000,000 and $44,000,000.  What happened to the first school bond?  Now the citizens of Madera our burdened with another $120,000,000 bond and my mortgage just increased, waters rates in Madera continue to increase, and sales tax is 8.25%. As a proud parent and appreciative of all that our Coaches do for our kids it’s time to increase the athletic budget and provide not only the equipment to the Madera South Track team but for all the student athletes in Madera Unified School District. Is it going to take all the track team and parents hijacking a school board meeting expressing our frustration and supports for our Coaches?  It it going to take exposing Adminstors salaries or how many assistants Administrators have? I’m hoping one day we have a billboard  on Northboud 99/Southbound 99 stating home of Madera Unified School District like Golden Valley, Clovis Unified, and Sanger Unified.  Please provide the support and equipment student athletes and Coaches deserve.  Please do not allow any of our Coaches to work in a hostile work environment because those days our over.  Trustees maybe it’s time to show up at Buchanan High School this Friday and support your student athletes.  All the best, Ron.