Measure L – Bonny Doon Elementary school bond
Voters in Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District will decide whether to approve $7 million in bonds for infrastructure upgrades at the district’s one school.
Jump to:
- What is Measure L?
- Who will vote on Measure L
- What are the plans for Measure L money?
- Prior ballot measures in Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District
- Things to consider about Measure L
- What does a “yes” vote and “no” vote mean on Measure L?
- Measure L ballot text, impartial analysis and official ballot arguments
What is Measure L?
If Measure L is adopted:
- The district would issue up to $7 million in bonds for Bonny Doon Elementary School maintenance and construction, partly to help reduce vulnerability to power outages and winter storms. The bond money can be used only for school facility projects and cannot legally be spent on teacher or administrator salaries.
- Property owners in the school district would pay an annual tax of $29 to $30 per $100,000 of assessed property value for about 30 years.
The measure needs 55% of the vote to be adopted. Bond measures like Measure L cannot legally include exemptions for seniors or people with disabilities.
Who will vote on Measure L?
Voters who live in Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District, which covers the sparsely populated Bonny Doon area, will consider the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot. The district has 2,129 voters, according to a recent report.
(Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District)
What are the plans for Measure L money?
Bonny Doon Elementary School at 1492 Pine Flat Road serves about 100 students.
A facilities plan released this year identified a total need of $15.7 million for the school. The plan also included a narrower, prioritized list of projects for approximately $7.6 million.
- Last school year, Bonny Doon Elementary School had three power outages from two to six days and several shorter outages, said Mike Heffner, superintendent of Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District and principal of Bonny Doon Elementary. “Students in Bonny Doon are disproportionately affected by power outages,” he said.
- The school has solar panels, and the bond would fund more energy storage to keep heaters and lights on during outages. When winter storms knock out power, classroom temperatures can dip into the low 50s. “And that’s not conducive to student learning and staff morale,” Heffner said.
- Other priorities include fixing the school’s drainage system and roofs, modernizing classrooms, repairing walkways, installing air conditioning, upgrading fire alarms, building an amphitheater and revamping the track and field, Heffner said.
“Bond funding won’t mean we’ll be able to do everything, but it would allow the district to be proactive in making improvements rather than taking a Band-Aid approach where we just fix issues as they pop up,” Heffner said.
Heffner added that he wanted residents to feel confident that, as long as they can get there, the school will be open during storms.
The bond’s project list states that the money could be used for:
- Repairs and replacement of deteriorating roofs, plumbing, electrical wiring, gas lines, drinking fountains, fences, gates and retaining walls.
- Renovations of classrooms, restrooms and other school facilities.
- Energy-efficiency updates involving solar panels, lighting, air conditioning, heating, insulation and windows.
- Shade structures, signage and landscaping.
- Painting interior and exterior building surfaces.
- Accessibility upgrades for students with disabilities.
- Upgrades to fire alarms and sprinklers, public address systems, and irrigation and drainage systems.
- Upgrades to playgrounds, play structures and play fields.
- Safety, security and technology upgrades.
- Improvements to school site parking and cracked and uneven walkways.
Heffner said the improvements would benefit Bonny Doon residents. “In Bonny Doon, we don’t have very many gathering places. So the school really does serve that function. We are both a park and a school for our community.”
Prior ballot measures in Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District
In 1991, voters approved $1.5 million in bonds for Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District. The money was used to build an upper campus, which includes kindergarten and first-grade classrooms, a multipurpose room and an office, and lower campus improvements, Heffner said.
That bond has been paid off. “The district has no outstanding debt,” he said.
If Measure L is adopted, about $14.6 million in debt would be repaid over the course of the bond measure’s life, including interest, according to the county counsel’s impartial analysis.
As required by law, the school district would create a citizens’ oversight committee for Measure L money. It would complete annual audits of bond expenditures.
Things to consider about Measure L
Heffner said that the school’s buildings had been well maintained and that, structurally, they were holding up nicely. However, he said the aging campus – which dates back more than 80 years to when there were only two classrooms – was starting to face noticeable wear.
The drainage systems, for example, “are almost completely root bound,” Heffner said, “so when we get heavy rains we have flooding on campus.” He said that the roots of redwood trees are also damaging the campus’ concrete walkways.
In addition to sprucing up classrooms with new carpets and wallpaper, among other things, Heffner would like to install a new track and field. Ideally, Heffner said, the track would connect to other parts of the campus, such as a play area that would then become accessible for students with disabilities who can’t currently use it. He said no decision has been made yet on whether the new field would have grass or artificial turf.
Another priority is a concrete amphitheater that would be built into the hillside, Heffner said.
No formal opposition to Measure L was filed with the Santa Cruz County Clerk. Official ballot arguments in support of Measure L were filed by Diana Herd, a member of the Bonny Doon Union Elementary School Board member, and four other residents.
Measure L ballot text
To modernize outdated classrooms/restrooms/school facilities to improve the quality of education; make security improvements; replace deteriorating plumbing and sewer systems; acquire, construct, improve sites/facilities/equipment, shall Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District’s measure to issue $7,000,000 of bonds at legal rates, generating on average $456,000 annually as long as bonds are outstanding at approximately 3 cents per $100 assessed value, be adopted, with annual audits, independent citizens’ oversight committee, NO money for salaries, all money staying local?
What does a “yes” vote mean on Measure L?
A “yes” vote would authorize an annual property tax of around $30 per $100,000 of assessed value within Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District to fund $7 million in bonds.
What does a “no” vote mean on Measure L?
A “no” vote would not authorize a new property tax or bonds.