Four years after passing a $182 million school bond measure, Escondido Unified School District, Calif., is considering asking voters for an additional $150 million.
Last month, the district surveyed residents by phone to gauge support for a second bond measure, and determine whether to place it on the ballot this fall, or wait until 2020.
"We really want our schools to be the showcase of our community," Superintendent Luis Rankins-Ibarra said. "I do believe they'll support us. The question is, what is the best time to do that."
The School Modernization and Facilities Improvement measure, Proposition E, passed in 2014, authorized $182 million in bond sales for safety and security, network infrastructure, and building upgrades and construction.
However, that measure addressed only the most urgent problems in the district, which administers the area's elementary and middle schools.
An assessment of those campuses identified $340.8 million in improvements for the aging facilities. School officials concluded that was too much to ask of voters, so they focused on their top priorities.
"We had to really pare it down to half that size, to critical needs," Superintendent Luis Rankins-Ibarra said.
The San Diego County Taxpayers Association adopted a neutral position on Prop. E, noting that the bond proposal outlined facility needs, cost estimates and a bond issuance schedule. However, it noted that the district didn't include a timeline for completing the projects, or limit the maturity length of the bonds for technology infrastructure.
The association declined to comment on a possible new bond measure, but said it would evaluate it if the district places it on the ballot.
"We will be assessing how effectively the district intends to utilize these funds as well as their record of transparency throughout the planning and oversight process," said Haney Hong, president and CEO of San Diego Taxpayers.
Prop. E costs homeowners $29 per $100,000 of appraised home value, Rankins-Ibarra said. The subsequent measure would cost about $20 to $24 per $100,000, he said.
Passing multiple bond measures on short order is not typical, but it isn't without precedent. For instance, Grossmont Union High School District passed three bond measures totaling $819 million in 2004, 2008 and 2016. And San Diego Unified School District passed a $2.1 billion bond measure 2008, followed by a $2.8 billion bond measure in 2012.
Since Escondido voters approved Prop. E in 2014, the district has issued two bond series, for $62 million and $55 million, which it has used to install security fences, add wireless technology, remedy campus flooding and build new classrooms to replace portables. It will issue the remaining $65 million in bonds in about three years, Rankins-Ibarra said.
Last week, construction workers put the finishing touches on seven new kindergarten classrooms, and moved earth for a playground at Central Elementary School, between the city's downtown strip on Grand Avenue, and the Old Escondido Historic District. Preschool classrooms and a parent center are also in the works, and black security fencing is erected in the front of the school, and will be extended around the perimeter over the summer.
With about 650 students, the 1950s-era school needed more space, separate facilities for the youngest students, and wheelchair accessible ramps and walkways for students with disabilities. It also added internet network technology, and is boosting energy efficiency by installing LED lighting and Solatube skylights to make use of natural light.
In a nod to the surrounding community, construction supervisors chose a color palette of sandy beige, with accents of apricot and mint, to complement neighboring Victorians and Craftsman Bungalows.
Other campuses received major upgrades as well. Orange Glen Elementary School, prone to flooding during rains, remodeled its school yard and fixed erosion problems. Mission Middle School got a new two-story math and science building.
Security fences went up at campuses throughout the district, including at some sites that were previously completely open, such as L.R. Green Elementary School. And all campuses were wired for internet access to accommodate classroom computers and the district's one-to-one iPad program, which will equip each student with a portable device.
But those improvements amount to only about half the needs in the district, where many school campuses date to the middle of the last century, Rankins-Ibarra said. Prop. E covered upgrades to schools built in the 1950s, but the district now wants to tackle the next tier of campuses, constructed in the 1960s.
That includes Conway and Miller Elementary Schools, where the saucer-shaped architecture doesn't meet requirements for security and accessibility, as well as L.R. Green and Lincoln Elementary Schools, where portable classrooms must be replaced with permanent buildings, Rankins-Ibarra said.
"I think nobody likes paying taxes, but this is one of those taxes where the community can see the direct tie to what they're paying," he said. "The community wants great schools. We want the best programs in our schools, and sometimes part of that is the infrastructure that's in place."
