The City of Santa Ana has spent a fortune over the years accommodating the requests of Mater Dei High School, a private Catholic school. Now Mater Dei is asking for more city funding, to the tune of $2.5 million dollars, to come out of our city’s beleaguered General Fund, to help them as they go about building a new parking structure and a 30K sq. ft. academic building. They are asking the City to pay for construction and engineering work associated with the removal/realignment of several streets where homes have been acquired by Mater Dei High School, to expand their campus.
Is this an appropriate expenditure for our City? Consider that Mater Dei is a private, not public school. While they do give out scholarships to low income students, the reality is that many of Mater Dei’s students don’t live in our city and quite a few of them come from high income families.
The New Santa Ana blog does not believe this is an acceptable use of public funds. We oppose this request. You will have a chance to vote for or against this expenditure in the poll below.
Apparently Mater Dei has been threatening to move out of our city if they don’t get their way. That is fine with us! Please do move. I am sure that their grounds could be used by a decent new charter or public school that would better serve the community.
If you want to stop this ridiculousness be sure to send an email to the Santa Ana City Council, and vote in our poll below!
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More after school programs. More assistance with proverty. More to fixing our roads ect.
Take note that the students at Mater Dei pay tuition for their own education. it is not a free public school. However, those same families pay school taxes and bonds wherever they live, on top of this tuition. I am am a Mater Dei graduate, have no children, and have paid school taxes all of my working life.
That is a good point. But that does not mean that the City should fork over several million dollars to help Mater Dei. What you speak of would be better addressed by making school vouchers available to parents so they could place their kids in private schools if that was their preference.
This is a private school, not a city school. What is the city council getting out of thi$$$$$$$$? Put that money towards law enforcement, The SAPD is down like a 100 officers and shootings are a daily occurrence. Most people that go to Mater Dei DO NOT live in Santa Ana!!!!!!!!!!! This is just as bad as those “Bonuses” that they gave to CAVAZOS (Cabezon)
Mr. Editor,
It is unprofessional of you to publish unsubstantiated garbage like this – “Apparently Mater Dei has been threatening to move out of our city if they don’t get their way.”
Mater Dei President Patrick Murphy actually said at the March 15th Council meeting. “.. if the City Council did not approve the funding request .. the school will raise the additional funds necessary to complete the project.”
You need to stop listening to Mater Dei haters – like CL.
Let’s see what they say if the city says no.
Extremely lame response Mr. Editor – you know that Mater Dei is not going back on their word. Stop listening to the Mater Dei haters like CL.
What I know is that they have already received a ton of help from our city. Time for them to pay their own way.
A new parking structure for the kids to park their bmw s, Lexus s and other luxury cars. While the SAUSD can’t even meet the needs if their own students especially special ed…
There’s so much that needs to be fixed in the public sector, why should our money go to a private institution?
PLEASE STOP THIS, I VOTE NO, THEY CAN PAY FOR THE STRUCTURE, THERE IS A GREAT NEED FOR HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS, DISABLED VETS, TAKE A RIDE ALONG THE RAILROAD TRACKS ON ALTON, BETWEEN BRISTOL/FAIRVIEW, SEE ALL OF THE HOMELESS, GOING TO BATHROOM IN THE OPEN, LEAVING TRASH, SLEEPING DAYTIMES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, BREAK INS, CARS STOLEN, FILTHY MESS, NOT SAFE FOR OUR CHILDREN, WALKERS
HOMEOWNER FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS, TERRIBLE SITUATION GOING ON HERE.
Mater Dei actually makes Santa Ana a better city!
How exactly does it make Santa Ana better? Please explain….
David says – Mater Dei should have left the city in the 80’s to a better location, but it was the CITY at that time that did not want Mater Dei to leave and promised them that they would
help the school stay in Santa Ana. Times change as do new council members,if I were the Bishop,I’d move MD out of SA, then the
gangbangers can take over the area. MD could have moved the campus to Costa Mesa 30 years ago and they didn’t do it. They should cut their
losses and leave the city – and it is a private school so taxpayers money should not be used to assist the school. MD should’nt have trusted the city to keep it’s prior word, times change,
Move the school to where it’s appreciated.
Of course! Santa Ana should always support and reinforce its best assets within the community, and be a proactive partner in a bigger vision to the extent possible! If Mater Dei isn’t one of those assets, what is? Those who complain always do! They always seem to want more affordable housing at the expense of most anything else! What does that do? “Myopia is its own reward!” Resist growth of quality in the name of what? More volume? Santa Ana has a legacy of disappointment, not aspiration, individual and collective benefit, quality of life! They even resisted the Artists Village! It was a threat to their acceptance of widespread disadvantage and the politics that go with it!
Santa Ana owes Mayor Pulido more than they are willing to recognize!