Josefina Soto voted at the Watsonville City Clerk’s office on Tuesday. (Fidel M. Soto — Santa Cruz Local)
D – Aromas-San Juan school bond – 55% to pass
Chart tallies Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito county results as of 4 p.m. Nov. 19.
| Vote | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Bonds Yes | 2,556 (58.5%) | |
| Bonds No | 1,815 (41.5%) |
AROMAS >> A $44 million bond measure in Aromas-San Juan School District headed toward approval with more than 58% of the vote as of Nov. 19. Measure D needs more than 55% of the vote.
The tally includes totals from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties because the school district straddles the three counties. If Measure D is approved, the money would improve and rebuild buildings and facilities at schools in the Aromas-San Juan School District.
The school district has three schools:
- Aromas School, an elementary school.
- San Juan School, an elementary school.
- Anzar High School.
If Measure D is adopted, property owners in the school district would pay an annual property tax of about $55 to $60 per $100,000 of assessed value. State law does not allow bond measures like Measure D to include exemptions for seniors or people with disabilities.
Barb Dill-Varga, superintendent of Aromas-San Juan School District, said during the campaign that the top priorities for the bond money are to:
- Rebuild much of San Juan School with buildings that are more earthquake-safe. Although a bond approved in 2020 was expected to cover the rebuild of San Juan School, construction prices have since risen, Dill-Varga said. “It’s taken a long time for this project to come to fruition,” she said.
- Upgrade Anzar High School with labs for coding and robotics, and add a cafeteria. Students now “eat in a hallway or in a library or outside,” Dill-Varga said.
- Renovate parts of Aromas school, including playgrounds and other outdoor spaces.
In 2020, voters approved a $30.5 million bond with Measure O and a $4.2 million bond with Measure M. Both bonds are being repaid with property taxes totaling about $70 per $100,000 of assessed value.
All Measure M money has been spent, and the remaining Measure O money is not enough to finish the needed repairs and upgrades, said Dill-Varga.
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Nik Altenberg is a copy editor and fact checker at Santa Cruz Local. Altenberg grew up in Santa Cruz and holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Latinx Studies from UC Santa Cruz.
