College district seeks $388M bond: Proponents say measure fulfills facilities needs, opponent says it’s a waste

“There’s never a right time to go for a bond,” said Chancellor Ron Galatolo. “We’ve proven in the past we can do it right. … We cannot risk not prevailing this time.”

The district’s $564 million Measure H modernization bond measure was on the November 2011 ballot, but fell short of the 55 percent approval needed.

“The number half a billion resonated too strongly for me,” he said.

Conversely, Mark Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, wrote the argument against the measure and believes servicing debt isn’t cheap. The total cost of the bond measure is $679 million with a 3 percent interest rate and more if not paid back in the first 25 years, he wrote in the argument.

“They should spend money on good quality teachers and technology [spending] should come out of the budget,” he said. “It’s a classroom, what matters is who’s in front of the classroom. (As a homeowner) you don’t take out a 30-year mortgage and make your next door neighbors pay for it.”

Hinkle fears the district will take its savings to fatten salaries and benefits. He also noted that it’s not worth paying 30 years for technology that will be obsolete in three to five years.

The district worked with Godbe Research to do surveys to determine when was best to go out for the bond measure that requires 55 percent approval. Numbers were higher for a November 2014 election over a November 2015 election. In addition, more than 70 percent of surveyed voters would go for the $388 million measure, while a $477 million measure was less popular.

The potential changes would be made to prepare students at College of San Mateo, Cañada College in Redwood City and Skyline College in San Bruno for universities and high-demand jobs; modernize math and science classrooms and labs; upgrade roads; upgrade computer, biotechnology and job training facilities; upgrade access for disabled students; ensure classrooms meet earthquake, fire and safety requirements; and replace aging infrastructure with energy efficient systems, according to a staff report. For example, the money could be used to construct a new science building at Cañada and an environmental science building at Skyline, Christensen said.

Most of the buildings were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, according to Galatolo and were the places to be at the time.

“We really got comfortable on what we did in the ’70s and have to continue to reposition ourselves to maintain a competitive advantage,” he said. “Since this is countywide, the amount we’re asking for is very low.”

The bond measure would work out to be an annual property tax increase of $8.22 per $100,000 of assessed value. Funds would also go to modernizing or constructing classrooms and other facilities for workforce training; multidisciplinary academic areas; kinesiology; physical training; public safety; early-childhood education; and for humanities, social sciences and fine and performing arts activities, according to a staff report.

A measure for $207 million in 2001 passed, along with a $468 million measure in 2005. The district has completed some of its most important projects, but there is still work to be done on lab classrooms and other buildings, Galatolo said.

“We probably spent $100 million on stuff you couldn’t see (with the 2005 bond),” Galatolo said. “First: asbestos, second: upgrading electrical systems. The next part of the infrastructure needs will be less; about $3 million. … We still have seismically unsafe buildings.”

The district shouldn’t be allowing students in seismically unsafe buildings in the first place, Hinkle wrote. He also added the district would be well served by working with local tech companies to sponsor new facilities.

“Stanford (University) knocks on the door of Intel to sponsor facilities,” he said. “Why can’t the community college district do this with someone like Genentech. They’d (the tech companies) love to have them.”

Meanwhile, the last time the state had a facilities bond was in 2006, Galatolo said, making it hard for districts to update facilities without help from local constituents.

“It’s largely been left up to the local community,” he said. “We’ve been blessed the community has supported us. … People need to realize community colleges are as essential as K-12 schools. We address students who can go directly into the workforce or transfer.”

The district opted to not renew a 2010 parcel tax in February because classes now have adequate funding to keep them going, the district previously stated.

angela@smdailyjournal.com

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