Our view: Proposition C an overdue investment in rural community's education

On Nov. 8, the Bonsall Union School District will ask voters to pass Proposition C, a $17 million bond that would cover most of the cost of demolishing the 50-year-old Bonsall Elementary School and building a state-of-the-art school.

We urge Bonsall's roughly 7,000 registered voters to approve Prop. C, a smart investment in smart schools and smarter kids.

The elementary school has served its rural but growing community well for the last half century, but it's showing its age. Lights flicker during the school day; termites and leaky pipes eat away at the walls. Students wait to use the few computers that can find plugs in the few electrical outlets in the classrooms. The rising number and costs of the repairs needed to patch up aging electrical and plumbing systems have made building a new school from scratch the most cost-effective way for the district to spend its taxpayer money.

The school district opened the impressive Bonsall West Elementary School this year, but the $19 million bill for that leap forward was picked up by developer Richland Communities, the city of Oceanside and a state grant, among other funding sources. Now it's time for Bonsall's voters to help bring the rest of their children's education into the 21st century.

The 25-year bond would tack on not more than $19.50 in property taxes for every $100,000 of assessed value for the district's homeowners. If your home's assessed value is $200,000, you'd be on the hook for an extra $39 in taxes per year; if it's $700,000, your tax bill would rise by $136.50. That seems like a bargain to us, as it gives Bonsall's children a better chance to benefit from the technology that increasingly will dominate the classrooms and workplaces of the world.

The district's $17 million request seems prudent and fair, although we allow that modern building codes and high technology come at a high price.

We hope Bonsall voters support their school district's building ambitions. Vote yes on Prop. C.