The North County Joint Union School District School Board voted
unanimously to approve a resolution ordering a $3.3 million school
bond measure to be put on this spring’s ballot, which will help
fund classroom renovations and the construction of a new indoor
cafeteria at Spring Grove.
Hollister – The North County Joint Union School District School Board voted unanimously to approve a resolution ordering a $3.3 million school bond measure to be put on this spring’s ballot, which will help fund classroom renovations and the construction of a new indoor cafeteria at Spring Grove.
“I am absolutely ecstatic about it,” said Trustee Rob Bernosky. “It wasn’t just a unanimous vote, it was an enthusiastic unanimous vote.”
The resolution was brought before the board last Wednesday after a January phone survey conducted among the district’s voters determined that the community was overwhelmingly in favor of such a bond. North County School District serves about 600 students in both San Benito and Santa Clara Counties.
“We’re real excited about this,” said Superintendent and Spring Grove Principal Howard Chase. “We’re going full speed ahead with a little extra speed on top.”
The bond will be financed through a property tax levied on the district’s 1,700 voters, which comes out to just under $30 for every $100,000 in assessed property value.
“As far as I’m concerned, the improvements we made last year were only the first half of one big project,” said Chase. “Now it’s finally time to complete it.”
The funding from the bond will go to upgrading Spring Grove classrooms, half of which already got a face-lift over the summer. The school parking lot will be expanded and additional lots will be added to the campus to improve traffic congestion during peak times when students are picked up and dropped off at school. The bond also allots funds to bring in new furniture for the entire school.
“What this is all about is really bringing a good school up to date,” said Bernosky. “Spring Grove was a tired old campus, but this modernization plan is really going to make it an asset to the entire community.”
The school’s athletic fields will be completely redone, and a cafeteria will be built to offer students shelter at lunch during rainy weather. Currently, students eat lunch outside on picnic tables beneath an overhang which, though it provides some shelter in the rain as well as shade in the summer, is little help when students need to eat on wet benches.
“It’s kind of amazing,” said Chase. “This school has been here for 35 years and the students have never had an indoor cafeteria.”
Should voters pass the bond measure on June 6, which needs to have a 55 percent approval vote, construction will begin in summer 2007 and will be mostly completed over the duration of the break.
“It takes a little time to draw up the plans and get approval from the state,” said Chase. “And we don’t want the improvements to disrupt our students’ class time.”
The school has yet to determine what interest rates or maturity date for the bond would apply.
Spring Grove will be holding several town-hall type meetings in the coming months to ensure that taxpayers know exactly how their money is being spent.
“I really believe this is what the community wants to do,” said Chase. “And I look forward to working with the community to see that this measure is passed.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com
