Voters in the San Carlos School District will decide the fate of a $176 million bond measure this March after trustees voted to move forward with the election last week.
An updated bond measure, if approved by 55% of voters, would help fund facility improvements identified in the district’s updated facilities master plan over the next 10 years. The 206-page document was drafted in collaboration with the public and identified more than $400 million worth of improvements across the district’s nine campuses from installing new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to major modernization projects.
Breaking improvements down into four phases, the district has identified between $23 million and $87 million of needed improvements at each campus. On the list of urgent needs are window, door and roofing replacements. Electrical upgrades, updates to the district’s entire fire monitoring and security system and expanding the district’s transitional kindergarten capacity have also been identified as top concerns.
“I’m optimistic based on everything we know and especially because you all did the work on this master plan to identify those needs,” board President Sarah Cassanego said during the board’s Nov. 16 meeting. “We have 300 pages of evidence that this is necessary and will benefit our community.”
A survey of 450 likely San Carlos voters found that the school district could successfully pass a new bond measure in March with about 59% of those surveyed saying they would likely or definitely support the measure. Similar rates of respondents said they’d back the measure if presented in November or if a smaller bond amount was requested, according to data collected by FM3 Research, a firm tapped to conduct polling, and presented to the board in October.
Trustees held a study session Nov. 9 to more thoroughly discuss their options and ultimately agreed to ask voters for support of the full $176 million bond measure.
During the Nov. 16 meeting, trustees shared their hope the community will back the measure this March, noting improvements to the district will also improve community value overall. Trustees also noted upgrades are greatly needed with some campuses having been built about 60 years ago.
Voters previously approved Measure H, a $72 million general bond, in 2012. Measure P, a six-year parcel tax worth $246.60 per parcel, was later approved in 2015 followed by Measure N, an eight-year parcel tax worth $334.60 per parcel, in 2020.
“Everyone who owns a house knows that’s one of your biggest assets but when you don’t invest in it, it becomes one of your biggest liabilities,” board Vice President Ben Kornell said. “Our schools are one of our biggest assets in San Carlos and it’s not just because of the students who go here. It’s because it creates a vibrant community and enriches our community itself. So if we invest in it, it will continue to grow and do that, and if we don’t it’ll become a liability.”
(1) comment
What is missing from this article is that there is currently a San Carlos School District bond on our property taxes. It is called San Carlos ESD bond at .0455% and a senior citizen can not get an exemption for bonds, only the San Carlos parcel tax.
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