BONSALL —— Unofficial election returns released Tuesday night showed that Proposition C, a $17 million bond measure that would pay for the razing and rebuilding of Bonsall Elementary School, appears to have passed.

As of 11:50 p.m., 2,138 "yes" votes counted had been counted for Prop. C, compared to 1,128 "no" votes —- meaning the measure had garnered 65.46 percent of votes that had been tallied.

To pass, Prop. C must be approved by 55 percent of the voters who cast ballots.

If the measure is approved, it will enable the Bonsall Union School District to issue a general obligation bond to completely rebuild its aging Bonsall Elementary School at 31505 Old River Road.

General obligation bonds are used to pay for property improvements or new school construction.

"Updating and modernizing this facility, well … it's huge," Bonsall school board Trustee Lou Riddle said Tuesday night, after early returns were posted.

"Bonsall Elementary School has been a foundation of this community pretty much since the community was founded," Riddle said. "It's really an old campus, and it's in need of upgrades."

Riddle and Superintendent Jef Schleiger praised the campaigning done by grassroots group Bonsall Citizens for a Quality Education in support of the bond measure.

The elementary school project is estimated to cost $20.7 million, according to assistant superintendent Wayne Jones. School district dollars and state funds will cover the remaining $3.7 million.

Under the terms of the 25-year bond, homeowners in the district would see their property tax increase by not more than $19.50 per $100,000 of a property's assessed value. That means a resident who owns a home with an assessed value of $200,000 would pay roughly $39 more on his annual property tax bill.

Bonsall resident Sheila Walson, who opposed Prop. C, said the bond measure text is short on details about what would be built and what would be the priority on the project.

"When you build something and it goes out for bid, it comes in at about three times more than the money you have," Walson said Tuesday, "and the deep-pocketed taxpayer will have to pay for it. How long? Ten, 25, or 40 years? I'll be dead by then."

Prop. C requires the district to develop a detailed list of projects to be paid for by bond proceeds. The proposition also calls for the formation of a citizens oversight committee to make sure the money is spent on the school project. In his capacity as district business manager, Jones would oversee the establishment of the oversight committee, Schleiger said Tuesday night

If the measure passes, the next step would be for the board to hear a presentation by the project's architect, Schleiger added. From there, a project plan and timeline will be developed, he also said.

District officials have said the existing buildings are safe, but have lots of plumbing, electrical and structural problems plus termites and buckling ceiling tiles. They have said the continuous repairs and maintenance at Bonsall Elementary, with its outdated classrooms, have been costly.

The general plan is for the new school to be built during the school year, while students attended classes in the older buildings that have been serving Bonsall students for about 50 years.

The last times this school district put bond measures on the ballot were in 1954, 1956, the mid-1960s, and the mid-1970s, according to Jones. At this time, the district has no General Obligation bond debt.

Contact staff writer Lorell Fleming at (760) 731-5798 or lfleming@nctimes.com.