A $42.5 million bond aimed at upgrading classrooms and other facilities at San Benito High School passed its final hurdle this week and will appear on the June 3 primary ballot.
With approval from the San Benito High School District Board and more of a formality affirmation from county supervisors this week, Measure G is all set for the ballot. The bond would result in a tax of about $30 per $100,000 of assessed value on homes in the district. If approved with at least 55 percent of the vote, the bond funds would go toward such upgrades as new classrooms to replace outdated ones, a replacement vocational building and other facility improvements deemed as needed on the open campus.
The high school bond would precede an expected, similar bond from the Hollister School District on the November ballot. That district’s trustees in February decided to delay the elementary school bond until the general election. The elementary district’s prospective measure, in contrast to the rehabilitation-focused SBHS bond, is aimed at addressing future growth and a need to expand capacity.
“This bond, or the proceeds from the bond, would be used pretty much exclusively to kind of upgrade the current campus,” said San Benito Board Trustee Bill Tiffany. “There are classrooms there that are half-a-century old, literally.
“In general, there’s just a crying need for some replacement of some of the very old classrooms – that’s number one. A really good example of a need is our the building that houses a lot of the vocational services or vocational education. It no longer passes current California earthquake standards.”
While the district maintains a slate of projects from which to choose – including some involving athletic facilities – Tiffany said there is a misconception as to where those ideas stand on the priority list.
“That is not the case,” he said. “On our list of priorities – athletic facilities are at the bottom, and while we believe that there’s a huge need for upgrading those facilities as well, the plan always has been to focus on classrooms.”
Arguing against the bond on the ballot, the president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, Bill Hinkle, underscores the average cost of $14,579 per student – excluding interest – for what he calls a 25-year loan.
“If we want our houses cleaned, do we take out a 25-year loan to hire a cleaning service?” the opposition writes. “No? But, that’s what the San Benito High School District is asking us to approve.”
