OCEANSIDE -- Only a month after Oceanside Unified School District trustees agreed to put a $195 million school bond measure on the June ballot, volunteers have already raised roughly $50,000 to promote the proposition, supporters said this week.

Last month, a group of parents and educators formed a 12-member committee to raise money, recruit volunteers and convince voters that another school bond is a good idea.

"We're very excited," said Joanna Mueller, who is working as a coordinator for the committee.

The money raised with the new bond measure -- dubbed Proposition H -- would pay to finish school renovation work that was part of the $125 million bond measure voters passed in 2000. The district wasn't able to afford some of those projects because of dwindling finances and soaring construction costs.

The project list for the new bond calls for improvements at 19 of the district's 26 schools, including completely rebuilding some of the campuses.

Volunteers with the committee will start making phone calls and sending out informational mailers later this month, Mueller said.

People have been very supportive of the idea, said former Oceanside city councilwoman Colleen O'Harra, who's heading up the campaign committee. So far, there is no organized opposition to the proposal.

"Everybody is very enthusiastic and optimistic that the bond will pass," said O'Harra, a former teacher who has two grandchildren in Oceanside schools.

O'Harra said she hopes the committee will be able to raise $130,000 to promote the proposition.

If at least 55 percent of voters approve the measure on June 3, it will extend current tax rates for decades but not directly raise them.

The district could issue more bonds and bring in more money by keeping the tax rate steady over the next 35 years instead of allowing it to drop as the older bonds are paid, school officials have said.

Homeowners within the Oceanside Unified boundaries pay about $58 annually for every $100,000 their house is worth. If voters pass the new measure, they would continue to pay that rate until 2043, instead of seeing it gradually decrease over the next three decades, district officials have said.

It's important to get to the work done now before construction costs get even higher, O'Harra said.

"The longer we wait to do this work, the more expensive it will be," she said.

With money from the 2000 bond measure, Oceanside Unified built three schools and renovated six others, adding room for roughly 2,400 more students.

O'Harra said she feels it's important to continue the work so all of the district's students will have comparable facilities.

"I think it's really important that our young people have facilities where they can get the best education possible," she said. "It's not just about making schools look pretty; it's actually making them much more functional."

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.