Hollister
– The fate of Spring Grove’s school bond Measure M hangs
perilously on one vote as North County School District educators,
parents and students wait for the final word on the ultimate
success or failure of the district’s efforts to secure $3 million
in construction funding.
Hollister – The fate of Spring Grove’s school bond Measure M hangs perilously on one vote as North County School District educators, parents and students wait for the final word on the ultimate success or failure of the district’s efforts to secure $3 million in construction funding.
Spring Grove School serves much of rural north San Benito County and a small portion of southern Santa Clara County. Measure M – like all school bonds – must receive at least 55 percent of the overall vote from both jurisdictions to pass. As of early Monday, the measure had lost in San Benito County by only one vote, but passed by two votes in Santa Clara County, where only 25 people voted on it. That gives North County a very slim, one-vote majority – 55.18 percent.
“What makes you worry is that if it doesn’t pass and this project doesn’t occur, the children will lose all that, because it’s all about them,” said Spring Grove Superintendent and Principal Howard Chase.
Though the votes from the June 6 election have essentially all been counted, the county must go back and do one last check before the results are official. It is possible that during the process Spring Grove could lose that one vote. Officials expect to know for certain before the week is out.
“It will be interesting to see how this one fares,” said County Clerk/Auditor/Recorder/Registrar John Hodges. “But I don’t really expect any surprises or changes.”
Hodges was hard-pressed to recall the last time an election was so close, and didn’t believe he’d ever seen an election won or lost by just one vote.
“Cruz and De La Cruz was close of course,” he said, referring to 2004’s
District 5 supervisorial race that Jaime De La Cruz won by about 10 votes, “but it wasn’t by one vote.”
North County officials are particularly shocked by the close call because the district hired a firm to conduct a phone poll gauging support for the bond back in January, and received very positive feedback from the community.
“My reaction is one of complete surprise,” said Bob Bernosky, who serves as clerk on the North County Board of Trustees. “We thought we would have overwhelming support, and for it to be this close is kind of a shock.”
School officials speculate that low voter turnout is ultimately to blame for the poor show of support – statewide only 28 percent of registered voters turned in a ballot.
“I know that statewide somewhere between 60 and 65 percent of school bonds were defeated,” Chase said. “So I’m grateful that it did pass, even if it’s just by one vote.”
The funding from the bond will go to upgrading Spring Grove classrooms, half of which already got a face-lift over the summer of 2005. The school’s athletic fields will be completely redone, classrooms will be renovated and new furniture provided, and a cafeteria will be built to offer students shelter at lunch during rainy weather.
Chase says the district will begin the planning stages of the project with an architect just as soon as the election results are certified. He hopes to break ground in early summer of 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
