Hollister School District trustees questioned one of two proposed funding sources for the updated Hollister Dual Language Academy expansion project at their regularly scheduled board meeting last week.
During the meeting, staff officials suggested the first phase of the project could be funded with $1.3 million in developer fees and about $1.6 million taken from the district’s $28.5 million general obligation facilities bond, with the intent to use future developer fees to repay that amount so the bond is whole again.
When trustees approved the HDLA’s expansion in February, the academy ran K-6 classes in mostly portable classrooms at the site it had shared with Gabilan Hills off Santa Ana Road. This year, the site runs K-7 grade classes at the campus, with plans to keep eighth grade on site starting next year.
The updated expansion plan—which was about $475,000 more than the one approved by the school board in February—would cost $4.1 million, according to the presentation.
The bond money that would be used—and repaid with future developer fees— had been planned for multipurpose rooms or new classrooms but would now be used to bring five portable classroom buildings, a portable restroom building and an administration building to the academy by the 2016-17 school year.Trustee Peter Hernandez asked what would happen to the multipurpose room projects if the developer fees don’t come in.
“I think I’m with Peter. It’s the adjustment. We agreed to a certain (bond) project list,” said Trustee Elizabeth Martinez. “It’s trying to understand why we moved certain things ahead of the line.”
While the academy expansion plan is not specifically called out as an approved Measure M bond project, portable classrooms are an authorized expenditure, according to background information in the meeting’s agenda packet. Bond money was set aside for either a multipurpose room at Cerra Vista School or six new classrooms and for a multipurpose room at Calaveras School or six new classrooms, explained John Teliha, the district’s director of facilities.
The $28.5 million general obligation facilities bond approved by voters in November 2014 will arrive in three segments for district use, Teliha explained. “Series A”—worth $14.5 million—is already in use, he told the Free Lance by email this week. The district can’t sell “Series B” bonds until 2017, Teliha said.
Hernandez said he asked questions because he wanted to make sure the board understood the consequences if the multipurpose rooms didn’t get built, he said. Martinez explained that she didn’t want the staff and community to feel that their needs at their schools were being overlooked, she said.
“But we did make a commitment to the community to increase capacity at HDLA so we need to juggle priorities to meet that commitment as well,” said Trustee Patricia Moore.
Hernandez suggested the board put it as a priority that future developer fees go toward those multipurpose rooms.
The district hopes to get a better understanding in the coming months of the planned build-out for some of the housing projects, as well as when permits would be issued because it’s at that point that the district would benefit from impact fees, said Superintendent Gary McIntire said. If a lot of permits are issued in the next year, the district would pay this back quickly, he said.
Staff officials want to start the project April 1 so the work would be done in time for the next school year, Teliha said.
