Beware wrote on Jul 30, 2008 11:55 PM:The District has stated that this bond will continue the current rate of $18.75 for 31-36 years beyond the current bond, into 2056. This is malarkey. The actual rate will fluctuate depending on home values. Considering the fact that we will be accruing interest for 18 years before beginning to pay on the bond, the actual tax rates will be closer to $36.00 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

VOTE NO

Reality time wrote on Jul 31, 2008 12:03 AM:Despite their best intentions, the high school district is not dealing with reality. Their enrollment is declining, the community is already paying on one high school bond, and their facilities are more than adequate.

Like the rest of us, the high school district must make do with what they have.

Too much wrote on Jul 31, 2008 12:09 AM:The taxpayers of Escondido have supported every well thought out, well planned bond for the past 20 years. But, enough is enough. The high school district now wants us to pass a second bond in 12 years, this time for 98 million dollars.

Worse, they want us to pass this one on to future generations in such a way as it will have to be paid not by us, but by our children, grandchildren, and even our great grandchildren.

This one goes too far, and even I can't support it.

Would Ed Nelson wrote on Jul 31, 2008 6:32 AM:care to help me pay my property taxes? I cannot afford yet another Bond measure. Dipping into savings (for a rainy day and even older age) is not acceptable any longer. STOP THE BONDS, STOP THE MADDNESS.

Puzzled wrote on Jul 31, 2008 6:46 AM:Common sense dictates that EUHS ask for input before paying for consultants, starting a mailing campaign, and basically trying to spend property tax revenue like the US government.

I doesn't matter -- the bond will reach the ballot with a reasonable chance that Escondido voters will drink the Kool-Aid as with most voters.

Just more signs of the Apocalypse.

Beware is Right wrote on Jul 31, 2008 6:53 AM:EUHS has intentionally played with the numbers previously -- the enrollment numbers when they were hot and heavy into building the 4th large high school. Does anyone remember EUHS stating that 800 to 1000 new students would overwhelm both the elementary and high school districts?

It doesnt add up wrote on Jul 31, 2008 7:06 AM:The bond in 1996 was 43 million, paid over 25 years. You can't pay off 98 million in 36 years without increasing the rate or the length. Long after most of us are gone, this bond will still be around.

Solution Time wrote on Jul 31, 2008 7:34 AM:Sell the land; improve the current high schools with the proceeds. Is it that hard to figure out?

Esco Resident wrote on Jul 31, 2008 7:36 AM:The High School District really needs to reach out to a larger cross section of residents to find out if anyone wants a magnet school in the district. I think what we would all really prefer is for the district to spend our existing tax money effectively.

What Bond wrote on Jul 31, 2008 7:40 AM:Are these board members nuts? NO ONE is going to vote for this bond and higher taxes as long as they continue to abuse our tax dollars by educating ILLEGAL ALIENS and misspending funds.
The free ride is OVER!!! Vote NO!!

Rate Change wrote on Jul 31, 2008 7:58 AM:The $18.75 per $100,000 "cap" is not a cap at all. It is only an estimate. The actual tax rate can, and will, fluctuate according to the total value of all homes being taxed and the total amount of money needing to be repaid.

This makes this particular bond terrible in two ways:
1. We won't start paying on it for another 18 years. During that time, it will be accruing interest, so our actual debt will be doubled, at least.
2. Escondido is approaching build out. Without new homes to tax, only existing homes will be liable for the entire tax bill. This means that each home will have to pay substantially more to pay off this bond.

The last high school bond, passed in 1996, was for $43 million. It will be paid off in 25 years at a tax rate of $18.75.

The proposed bond is for $98 million, more than twice as much. Anyone can see that it couldn't possibly be paid off in only 35 years, as the High School District claims.

Done deal wrote on Jul 31, 2008 8:03 AM:The bond is a done deal. The board decided that years ago. They are going to waste our money on consultants, full color brochures, staff time, and everything else while my kids get junky, torn up textbooks.

No, this bond has no chance of passing. Escondido supports education, as evidenced by the passing of the last two school bonds. But his bond does not cut the mustard. It is too much about privileged kids, and not enough about making overpaid administrators and unthinking board members do their jobs.

Escondidite wrote on Jul 31, 2008 8:09 AM:Right now, Escondido needs a new school board to look at what the high school district really needs. It seems like we are looking for a money fix for structural problems.
- A teachers union out of control.
- District administrators without knowledge of what education is about.
- Money being spent on things that really don't matter.
- A School Board that spends more time trying to raise money from taxpayers' pockets than doing real oversight of District operations.

Snowder leaving is a good first step. Let's get some good new people in there.

Do the math wrote on Jul 31, 2008 8:14 AM:In 1996, voters passed a 43 million dollar bond to be paid off in 25 years. That works out to 1.72 million per year. A 98 million dollar bond - proposed to be at the same rate - will take 57 years to pay off. Add 57 years to the current bond, and it's paid off in 2078! 70 years from now! That puts the debt on me, my children, my grandchildren and even my GREAT grandchildren!

Susan wrote on Jul 31, 2008 8:27 AM:And just where does the school district think the taxpayers are going to get this money? On top of that we are looking at fire protection tax and a proposed and likely large increase in our sales tax. The ballot in Novemeber is full of people with their hands out asking for more and more and more. People are having a hard time just paying for gas these days. It's time to give all of them a reality check and vote no on any increases!!!

No New Bond wrote on Jul 31, 2008 9:13 AM:Not only is it hard to believe that the EUHSD would try to float this large of a bond in this economy, but they had other options which they did not explore using quasi-private funding. Who do they think can afford another bond while we are already paying on school bonds, fire, police and hospital bonds? We showed them during their legacy run for a comprehensive high school that enrollments were declining. We gave them information on companies willing to financially support programs, provide grants and the city effectively forced High Tech High to locate in San Marcos. Where do they think the money to staff and hire teachers for this new project will come from when they just had huge budget cuts and lay offs? The bond doesn't make financial sense for any one and they need to make better use of the money they already have. The free ride on the backs of tax paying citizens is over even if the apartment dwellers they surveyed want us to pay for another bond.

to solution time wrote on Jul 31, 2008 9:25 AM:That is an excellent plan. To the Board and Eddie Money, I mean Ed Nelson, sell the land, use the proceeds. NO new fees for us.

Overtaxed wrote on Jul 31, 2008 9:58 AM:They need to generate a certain amount of money per property to service the bond. As property values go down (and whose hasn't lately), the rate HAS to go up.

Pass this and we have to spend more.

This is a NO WAY for me!

Heads up Esco property owners wrote on Jul 31, 2008 11:51 AM:Remember, bond issues such as this only require a 55% voter approval to pass! You must VOTE NO in November, or this school bond will be approved by apathy.

Nice that the school board and their architects talked with 20 homeowners last night. What about the rest of Esco taxpayers? They can't convince us to give them $98M for another bond, half of which will go to a small magnet school in a difficult to access area of the city. Parents who want their kids in charter or magnet schools are already sending them there, for good reason! This school board needs to spend their money giving kids a good basic education before they add another campus focusing on medical and biotech.
VOTE NO!!

Time to go wrote on Jul 31, 2008 12:01 PM:Snowder is leaving, and if any one of the current board members seat is up for re-election, we should vote him or her out. Marler needs to go, too. I heard there are already two possible new candidates who will be filing to be on the ballot. Let's support them and give them a chance to turn this pitiful high school district around.

Al wrote on Jul 31, 2008 12:11 PM:Why is our attitude always to Build, Build, Build? Why do we keeping developing the few remaining open spaces in this town? Leave them be. We don't need this facility.

Bill wrote on Jul 31, 2008 12:54 PM:"Time to go" is correct - Charlie Snowder is leaving. Kurt Marler is up for re-election and has begin the candidate process. Three additional people have also declared themselves to be candidates. I am one of them and I am voting NO on the bond. There has got to be a better way.

Get on the clue bus EUHSD wrote on Jul 31, 2008 1:13 PM:You won't get approval for this, not in the current economic climate. School aside, the property owners in Escondido are not going to support you on this one.
VOTE NO!

Bill has my vote wrote on Jul 31, 2008 1:19 PM:Hey, Bill, thanks for stepping up to the plate. I will stay tuned to hear more about your run for the EUHSD.

Lokal Yokal wrote on Jul 31, 2008 1:31 PM:I sure would like to see EUHSD's answer to some of the comments here. I do know that EHS has about 3,000 students, in a school built for half that number. That is a real problem.

Just Wondering wrote on Jul 31, 2008 2:49 PM:if we would need a new school without any of the illegals?

Also wondering wrote on Jul 31, 2008 4:01 PM:Unfortunate that we even have to bring up the issue of illegals, but its a fact of life where we live. We should not have to pay to educate anyone who is not here legally. Subtract those out and it's a good bet that the "overcrowding" would cease to exist.
Why should we support another freebie to
people who are breaking the law?

Wake Up wrote on Jul 31, 2008 10:16 PM:If we pass this danged bond, we're gonna need every warm body, legal or not, to help pay the stupid thing off. We won't be able to afford to deport anyone if they can pay property taxes in our city.