Two local rural school districts brought bond measures to the
voters Tuesday, but only one will become a reality
– while Spring Grove School will be getting a $3 million for
school improvements, the students of Aromas San Juan Unified School
District will have to wait a little longer to see any of the $24
million in new structures that district officials had hoped
for.
Two local rural school districts brought bond measures to the voters Tuesday, but only one will become a reality – while Spring Grove School will be getting a $3 million for school improvements, the students of Aromas San Juan Unified School District will have to wait a little longer to see any of the $24 million in new structures that district officials had hoped for.
“It’s very, very disappointing,” said ASJUSD Superintendent Jackie Munoz.
ASJUSD covers households in San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, and 55 percent of all voters would have had to approve the bond measure, Measure N, in order for it to pass. In San Benito County, only 48.65 percent of voters approved the bond, while 41.7 percent of Santa Cruz voters approved it and 47. 76 percent did so in Monterey.
“We know there are still some absentee ballots that need to be counted, but the numbers don’t look good,” said Munoz.
Had the $24 million measure passed, it would have funded more than a dozen projects for the district, including a new cafeteria and auditorium for Anzar High School students, a new preschool building for San Juan School, and a near complete reconstruction of Aromas School, including a new library and media center.
“My big worry right now is worrying about how to keep our students and staff safe and healthy because of the mold and mildew (at Aromas),” said Munoz.
Munoz speculated that low voter turnout – around 35 percent in the county – might have contributed to the unfavorable vote. The fact that voters approved an $11 million bond as recently as 2002 may have also played a part in the result.
“I voted against it (Measure N),” said San Juan resident Ray Stevenson. “As a rule I vote against those types of measures unless I know that there’s a very compelling reason for it.”
Other voters had hoped that the district would be able to get to work on what they felt were much-needed improvements.
“I voted yes, because the schools should have permanent buildings that will last instead of just the portables they have now,” said San Juan resident John Nelson, who has children in the district. “Our kids deserve that.”
It is possible that district officials will bring a similar measure to voters at a later date, but Munoz was doubtful that the board of trustees would be able to act quickly enough to put a measure on the ballot for the November election.
On the other end of the county, educators at Spring Grove are celebrating the passage of Measure M, a $3 million bond that will effectively fund the second half of a major school renovation project begun in 2004.
The measure narrowly passed with 55.80 percent of the vote and, though some absentee ballots still need to be counted, North County School District Superintendent Howard Chase feels that the district will ultimately prove successful.
“I’m confident that this is what the voters want,” he said. “But we had a pretty nervous night.”
The funding from the bond will go to upgrading Spring Grove classrooms, and furnishing them with new tables, desks and chairs. The school’s athletic fields will be completely rebuilt, 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.
Chase says the district will begin the planning stages of the project with an architect just as soon as the election results are certified in the next couple of weeks. He hopes to break ground early summer 2007 and have the construction completed before the beginning of the school year.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com
