San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District Board of Trustees to vote on $130M bond

Trustee Audrey Ng said the Bowditch plan would bring the school from 1,000 to 1,500 students. The school would grow up and out — adding a floor and expanding on the ground level as well. Bowditch is currently grades 6-8.

Foster City Mayor Pam Frisella said the measure is critical to Foster City, which has overcrowding issues and a deteriorating middle school facility.

“It was such an attractive thought because we needed to do something with Bowditch really soon, it’s almost blighted,” Frisella said. “It would serve both goals to rebuild Bowditch and free up room in elementary schools. We have exhausted every bit of land and don’t have any land left.”

Knolls is located near Hillsdale High School at 525 42nd Ave. and has been used as a temporary overflow school while others undergo construction. This measure would make Knolls a permanent school, expanded and repurposed to be brought up to code with other permanent schools.

Molly Barton, assistant superintendent for student services, said changing school boundaries in San Mateo because of the reopening of Knolls is still to be determined. She said if the measure passes, a committee would be formed to make a decision on that front. She said there is a possibility it could be opened as a magnet school, which wouldn’t affect the borders.

Superintendent Cyndy Simms wrote on her Web page student enrollment has been increasing year after year because of the high quality of our San Mateo and Foster City elementary and middle schools,

“School overcrowding needs to be addressed and our schools require technology upgrades to ensure 21st-century classroom instruction,” she wrote. “Many of our schools require upgrades to classrooms, libraries and middle school science labs to continue providing a safe, modern learning environment for all of our students. To relieve overcrowding and make upgrades to classrooms and technology, the Board of Trustees is considering a school improvement bond for the November 2013 ballot.”

“Cynthia has been committed to solving enrollment issues over the last two years,” Barton said. “She’s been addressing overcrowding without disrupting the community. She’s been community oriented.”

If passed by the Board of Trustees, the measure would be placed on the November ballot, both schools would be open for business for the 2016-17 school year, following a design process and construction.

Just last August, the district nixed a $130 million bond measure that would have proposed buying up land in Foster City to build a new school to better communicate its goals with the public. This came after the Superintendent’s Committee on Overcrowding Relief committee, recommended the board replace Bowditch and move fifth graders there, a recommendation that is now part of the current measure proposal.

Barton said a second reading, and vote, of the measure will take place next week if the board doesn’t come to a decision tonight. Such measures require 55 percent passage. The bond would cost property owners $19 per $100,000 assessed property value. The district meeting is 7 p.m. at 1170 Chess Drive in Foster City.

angela@smdailyjournal.com

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