ESCONDIDO: $98 M bond package to be presented to trustees Thursday
District must decide if it will place proposal on the ballot in Nov.
By SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | ∞
ESCONDIDO ---- Residents and trustees will get their first look Thursday night at a possible $98 million bond package that the Escondido Union High School District is proposing for the Nov. 4 ballot, officials said Monday.
If approved, the multimillion-dollar bond would extend the existing tax rate that property owners are already paying under a $43 million bond that was adopted in 1996, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Barry Dragon said.
The money raised through the extension would pay for permanent classrooms and other improvements at campuses and the construction of a magnet school in western Escondido, Dragon said.
District officials and trustees have discussed a possible bond measure for more than a year while surveying residents on what they would support and identifying projects to improve Escondido, Orange Glen and San Pasqual high schools.
Thursday night's presentation represents the culmination of those efforts, Dragon said, explaining that trustees will hear a detailed, school-by-school list of construction projects and their associated costs.
Bonnie Moss, the district's bond consultant, said Monday that she'll present the results of the survey before recommending that the board put the bond on the ballot.
The $98 million extension would raise the annual tax rate for homeowners from $14 per $100,000 of assessed valuation to the 1996-approved tax rate of $18.50 per $100,000, Dragon said.
That is the most the district could levy, he said.
Dragon said on a $200,000 house, for example, it would cost homeowners $9 more per year until the bond is paid off.
Payments on the 1996 bond are set to expire in 2021. Dragon declined to say how many more years homeowners would have to pay taxes if voters approve the bond extension, saying he would provide that information at Thursday's meeting.
Trustees must make a decision on whether to place a measure on the ballot by Aug. 8. The board is scheduled to meet again Aug. 5 to make its decision.
Trustees have expressed overwhelming support of a measure in previous meetings, saying they would like to add another school to the district to ease crowding on the district's three comprehensive campuses --- Escondido, Orange Glen and San Pasqual.
Each of those schools serve between 800 and 1,300 more students than the 1,500 students they were built to hold, district officials said.
Trustees also have said they want to improve the district's career and technical education facilities and update everything from science laboratories to performing arts facilities on the three campuses.
The bond isn't backed by everyone.
Some residents have said in public meetings, on comment cards returned to the district by mail and online message boards that they're not convinced the district should pursue a bond in a struggling economy.
And some homeowners who live in a housing development that borders the proposed site for the magnet school off Citracado and West Valley parkways have told district trustees in public meetings that the campus would increase traffic and decrease their quality of life.
"We would really like them to not even put this on the ballot," said Kathleen Scott, a resident of the Oakstone subdivision. "But I think that they have spent so much time and money going forward on this that I can't see them backing down on it."
The board's public workshop is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the District Service Center, 302 N. Midway Drive.
Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.
Proposed Escondido Union High School District ballot measure:
"To improve student learning and college/job readiness, relieve overcrowding and qualify for state matching funds, shall Escondido Union High School District rehabilitate deteriorated classrooms/equipment/sites/joint-use facilities, construct new science/computer labs, upgrade technology, improve safety/energy-efficiency, replace portables, add classrooms, and construct a new small high school; by issuing $98,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, including independent oversight, no administrator salaries, and all the money benefiting local high schools, while maintaining the current tax rate limits."
Possible improvements, as presented to district trustees in February:
-- $48.5 million for classroom upgrades, track-and-field improvements and a district swimming pool at the existing campuses
-- $37.3 million for a medical and biotechnology-focused magnet school
-- $22.3 million for an adult education facility to replace aging, relocatable classrooms that serve as the Adult Education Center's Midway campus on Midway Drive and East Valley Parkway.
The district is also anticipating that it will receive about $10 million in state funding to contribute to the project, officials have said.
Provided by the Escondido Union High School District
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Ex educator wrote on Jul 21, 2008 9:03 PM:Vote NO
Local wrote on Jul 21, 2008 11:29 PM:Absolutely no way! The school board appears to be living in a bubble. They are completely out of touch with reality. Prop BB taught us a lesson that we won't soon forget.
EUHSD is too confident wrote on Jul 22, 2008 6:29 AM:EUHSD has spent huge amounts of money on bond consultants, mailers, and architect fees on a project that hasn't been approved by the voters yet. SLOW DOWN EUHSD. Wait and see how you can survive during these days of budget cuts and upcoming decline in enrollment. Ask EUSD, they are pounding the pavement begging for students. Sorry, you're not getting my vote.
Jaque wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:33 AM:WOW. This is so incredible it's almost laughable. I imagine this will be rejected harder than any other form of gov't aggrandizement yet. ABSOLUTELY NO WAY! NO NEW TAXES!
Kidding right wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:51 AM:Unfortunately this is "For the Children" so enough suckers will vote yes and the money will disappear. Then they will be back for more in a couple years. Enrollment is down and will continue to decrease and they have more money then years past. Why then do they need more classrooms?
What overcrowding wrote on Jul 22, 2008 8:09 AM:The high school district is in a declining enrollment situation. Although one facility, Escondido High School, is impacted, the other two high schools still have room for more students. The solution is simple: redraw boundaries and have students attend their assigned school.
Unnecessarily raising taxes again is entirely without merit.
I say NO wrote on Jul 22, 2008 8:23 AM:They called me on the phone and I told them NO, and I will vote no. I will NEVER vote for more funds until Escondido gets rid of the illegal aliens ... I am NOT paying taxes to educate people who are NOT Americans.
Some Facts wrote on Jul 22, 2008 8:26 AM:Before we get all set to vote for this new bond, the high school district needs to answer some basic questions:
1. Why did they not plan for these needs with their funding from the State over the past several years, as they are supposed to?
2. Where will the students for these new classrooms come from?
3. Where will we get the funding to put teachers in these new classrooms?
4. Why do we have the highest paid administrators in all of San Diego County?
5. How many years will it be before they are coming to us with another bond because they didn't plan adequately on this one?
6. Why are we shutting a school down right now (Centre City High School) if we are in such desperate need of a new school?
7. How much money (staff time included) has been spent (=wasted) on studying different potential school sites?
8. Do you really believe that your consultant on this bond would walk into a meeting and say, "Sorry guys, the community really isn't ready to back you on another bond issue."
Reality, guys. This bond will not go. There are lots of us who support education, who support Escondido, but do not support this BECAUSE this does not make sense!
Reality Check wrote on Jul 22, 2008 9:53 AM:We need to mobilize against this bond. This board has been provided with thousands of pages documenting other ways without raising taxes to achieve the goal of preparing our students for careers in the global economy. They did not follow up on any of the means provided. I'll get going in my neighborhood with flyers and see about having yard signs printed. Property owners unite! NO NEW BOND!
Sickofit wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:29 AM:Just what we need right now- more taxes.
Sickofit wrote on Jul 22, 2008 11:34 AM:Teachers are way over compensated for their part-time employment.
Funky Math wrote on Jul 22, 2008 4:36 PM:The tax rate is too low! At 4% interest, $98 million would cost $5.6 million to repay over 30 years. The assessed value of the EUHSD is about $15.4 billion. Thus, in the first year, it would take $39 per $100,000 to service the debt. Any decreases from that tax rate are directly proportional to increased assessed property values. Are those going up any time soon? If not, the tax rate will be much higher than presented to voters!
Property OWNERS will pay wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:30 PM:The EUHSD has already decided to move forward with this bond issue, they just have to take the official vote at their next board meeting in August, then file their paperwork with the registrar of voters. REALITY CHECK is right...we must mobilize against this bond! Voters of Esco, show up at Thursday's workshop and let the school board know that we WILL NOT give them another dime.
Are they for real wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:41 PM:Escondido has a 17% high school dropout rate according to an article in last weeks NCT. Why are these kids leaving school? I suggest the EUHSD find out why and get back on track providing basic high school requirements before they ask us to pony up millions for a "magnet" school. VOTE NO!
Absurd wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:27 AM:This is ridiculous! The high school district is just looking for a money fix to repair problems that it should be working on internally. Try something other than new taxes!
Disgraceful wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:28 AM:There is no way I or anyone I know will vote for this bond. Who is it they are polling?
No raises for teachers wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:34 AM:Before anyone tells me that this bond is for new facilities, let me tell you, "you are wrong!" The school district gets funding from the State each year for its expenses, including maintenance, facilities upgrades and personnel salaries.
If we give them additional, separate moneys for facilities, they then have more money to dedicate to personnel salaries. This is why we have the highest administrator salaries in Southern California!
Vote No!
becky wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:02 AM:I am all for improving the current campuses. However, I would vote No on the bond because of the new magnet school. I don't like the proposed location. It is not centralized and would only cause more traffic. Very few students would be able to walk to the new school. And, I'm not convinced that we will need it with the current state of Ca economy. Vote Nooooo!!!!
Hey Editor wrote on Jul 26, 2008 7:42 AM:What's the Deal? The comments get too negative about the bond issue, so you remove your article from your website. Do you work for the people of North County, or for Charlie Snowder?
Put the other article back, with comments. You are acting like a high school newspaper in trouble with the principal.
Right On wrote on Jul 26, 2008 11:12 AM:Right on, Hey Editor (7:42am)! This is a heated topic with parents in Escondido right now, and for the NCT to pull the article is absurd. I submitted comments (within the newspaper's guidelines) last night and when I went back a few miniutes later the article was gone. NCT, put the article with comments back on your website. Don't deny us our First Ammendment rights!
Bill in Escondido wrote on Jul 26, 2008 11:26 AM:Yeah, really. What's up? There was an article printed and posted yesterday. At last count, it had 29 comments - and yes, mostly negative.
What happened to the article? Why was it removed?
Editors note wrote on Jul 26, 2008 11:49 AM:The story "Hey Editor" is looking for can be found here: ESCONDIDO: School bond payments could stretch beyond 2050
Wimps wrote on Jul 27, 2008 2:28 PM:And, you've pulled it again. Can't put up with pressure from the school board, or are the numbers just so ridiculous and infeasible you just can't stand to see them in print? R$egardless, it was what was presented to the public and the comments should have been in print today!
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