In sync with San Bruno Park School District’s vision for Schools with Tomorrow Inside, which was launched in 2018, children in San Bruno can look forward in the coming years to new and modernized schools. With voter support of the $79 million Measure X and the district upholding its promise to leverage the bond to its maximum potential through sale of surplus property, the district now has nearly $170 million to apply to bringing antiquated schools up to 21st-century standards for education and safety. This is a victory for San Bruno children.
On Jan. 15, the Board of Trustees authorized a contract for sale of the surplus Engvall property to Pulte Homes in the amount of $79.5 million to build single-family homes on the site. Supporting the sale were Trustees Chavez, Sanchez and Martinez; Trustees Mason and Blanco were opposed. Previously, in December 2018, the board approved the sale of El Crystal for $13.5 million with Trustee Blanco not in favor.
Schools with Tomorrow Inside calls not only for facilities transformation, but also for educational transformation work to ensure San Bruno children will be well prepared for high school and the workplace of the future. Good schools equate to a stronger community that attracts new families and businesses. Importantly, the sale of surplus property generates not only funding which is restricted to facilities modernization, but also generates interest income and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the district in developer fees and property taxes — annually. Interest and property tax revenues can be utilized in the general fund, creating a revenue stream to increase teacher and staff compensation.
In the past, the district has leased Crestmoor Elementary site given that the facilities on that site were readily available to a private school. Engvall, on the other hand, is vacant land and leasing vacant land would not generate the needed dollars for modernization nor provide significant funds for the general fund to accomplish salary increases and academic program improvements while continuing to try to maintain old, deteriorating facilities.
With aging schools 53-77 years old, the district has seen the budget for maintenance and repairs escalate. The community’s understanding of this impact on education in San Bruno and the prudent action of Board members to seize the opportunity to literally match the $79 million Measure X bond, now ensures San Bruno can look forward to modernized and safe schools for her children.
It has been said about San Bruno Park School District that it is positioned as a gateway to the world. Flanked on one side by a generation of creative thinkers and doers at YouTube headquarters and, on the other side, by a gorgeous, state-of-the-art Capuchino High School, our schools look east to an international airport and major transportation stations, and west to the dynamic Skyline College and an ocean that connects continents. Between the Measure X bond funds and maximizing revenue through sale of surplus property, the children of San Bruno will have a much better opportunity for passing through that gateway to success in a global economy.
Dr. Sharon Kamberg is the interim superintendent for the San Bruno Park School District.
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