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By KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Millions of dollars of capital improvement projects are complete in seven Sonoma County school districts and officials are now eyeing a follow-up round of spending, thanks to $141 million in bonds approved by voters in 2010.
School districts earned voter support for an array of capital projects in Sonoma Valley, West Sonoma County, Piner-Olivet, Cloverdale, Twin Hills, Bennett Valley and Forestville. A $42 million bond passed in Calistoga in the same year, with the help of approximately 400 voters living in Sonoma County.
In Bennett Valley School District, 12 new classrooms have been built at Yulupa School to replace aging portables. Students are expected to be in their new rooms when school resumes Monday.
Solar panels will eventually be put atop the classrooms and groundbreaking on a new multi-use room is slated for March, according to Superintendent Sue Field.
The West Sonoma County School District, fresh off the installation of solar arrays at El Molino, Analy and Laguna high schools, is slated to set the next round of priorities at its Jan. 25 board meeting.
“They have discussed this for two months,” said Superintendent Keller McDonald. “They are ready to take some action.”
But McDonald acknowledged the sluggish economy plays a role in determining how fast the district can proceed with the remaining $16.8 million in bond sales and what can be accomplished from a $70 million master plan for its facilities over the next 20 years.
“We have to accomplish those projects in bits and chunks rather than all at once,” he said.
On this list of voter-approved improvements are construction of a performing arts theater at El Molino, improved band room at Analy, bleachers and sports field improvements on both campuses and student bathroom upgrades across the district, McDonald said.
Piner-Olivet District has replaced the roof on 10 classrooms, installed solar panels and redesigned the drop-off circle at Olivet School. That campus is slated to get a kitchen in a follow-up round of construction, according to Becky Leffew, director of business for the district.
In Sonoma Valley, the county’s largest investment in solar — $12 million to $15 million of the district’s $40 million in bonds — has run into a few road bumps.
The solar system, which the district had planned to have operational by August, is still slowed by state approval of some sites and pushback from neighbors who say already-installed arrays are an eyesore.
“We still have work to do around wanting to get those panels lowered,” said Justin Frese, deputy superintendent.
In the meantime, the district has since planted landscaping to block some neighbors’ view of the elevated solar panels.
“We did some nice landscaping,” he said. “We worked with the neighbors on that in the hope that it would address their concerns.”
Still on tap for that district are the installation of energy efficient windows and roofs, and upgrades to career technical classrooms.
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A brief overview of the seven bond measures passed by Sonoma County voters in 2010:
Sonoma Valley
$42 million
* What property owners will pay annually: About $48-$50 per $100,000 in assessed value.
* Priority projects: Solar installation, career technical classroom upgrades, installation of energy efficient windows and roofs.
WEST SONOMA COUNTY
$23.8 million
* What property owners will pay annually: About $11.50 per $100,000 assessed value.
* Priority projects: Solar installation, replace heating and ventilation systems, modernize classrooms, install artificial turf athletic fields, upgrade performing arts center at El Molino High.
PINER-OLIVET
$20 million
* What property owners will pay annually: About $30 per $100,000 assessed value.
* Priority projects: Solar installation, new classrooms at Jack London Elementary, new or expanded multipurpose room at Olivet Elementary, upgrade heating and ventilation, replace portable classrooms with permanent structures.
CLOVERDALE
$17 million
* What property owners will pay annually: About $25 per $100,000 in assessed value.
* Priority projects: Solar installation, plumbing, wiring, heating and cooling upgrades, new roofs, construction of a community center.
TWIN HILLS
$11 million
* What property owners will pay annually: About $30 per $100,000 in assessed value.
* Priority projects: Solar installation, modernize classrooms, construct permanent library to replace temporary facility at Apple Blossom School, construct a library/technology center at Twin Hills Middle School, improve grounds and play fields.
BENNETT VALLEY
$10.6 million
* What property owners will pay annually: About $24 per $100,000 assessed value.
* Priority projects: Solar installation, new multi-use room at Yulupa Elementary, upgrade heating and ventilation systems, replace portable classrooms, upgrade physical education fields.
FORESTVILLE
$5.1 million
* What property owners will pay annually: About $25 per $100,000 in assessed value.
* Priority projects: Upgrade campus communication system, upgrade classroom technology, new roof on the administration building and multi-use room, upgrade locker rooms, improve play areas and equipment.
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“We will fire all the employees, dissolve the Boards and Depts. of Ed., sell off the facilities to the highest bidder, and return their kids and their crippling taxes to the parents.
Then entrepeneurs will organize a system based on capitalism that will deliver a quality product at affordable prices.”
Of course all “quality products are based on capitalism”. Like the products once made in USA that are now made in China.
I can only imagine having our dedicated EDUCATED and credentialed teachers replaced by some sales rep that needs to post a profit for shareholders.
Jim, agree with you on administration. 40 different school districts in this county. They should all be under one district called SONOMA COUNTY SCHOOLS. Period. It’s a waste of money for each school district to have it’s own school board, it own district office supplied with staff. The money available should be partitioned out fairly to schools and I’d like more emphasis on teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills, along with the arts, music, PE and other learning opportunities for children to be well rounded adults. Put the money into the classroom and more teachers.
I have no problem funding education, school repairs, etc. The problem I have is that the amount of money spent on “education” keeps increasing but the amount that gets into the classroom remains fairly constant. Where does the money go? ADMINISTRATION!
School districts are WAY too top heavy. Money is wasted on useless administrators rather than the education of the students. Just like all government departments, when they overspend they simply go back and steal more from the taxpayer.
I think an audit should be performed by someone independent of the system. The amount of fraud and waste that exists within the system, and the extreme pay to worthless administrators would sicken everyone.
I would like to also point out the following excerpt from the article:
“A brief overview of the seven bond measures passed by Sonoma County voters in 2010..”
AS VOTERS PASS MORE AND MORE TAX RAISES, THE GOVERNMENT SIMPLY CONTINUES TO DEMAND MORE AND MORE.
Governor Brown is demanding that voters raise taxes. But even as the article points out, Sonoma County voters already did that just recently.
When does it end ? Answer: only when you vote “NO” to raising taxes.
“Skippy” plays fast and loose with truth.
Historically, schools did NOT operate on LOANS called BONDs.
Historically, schools were operated on a shoestring budget.
Public education has only become an government industry in the last 75 years.
But cutting school budgets, or the THREAT from Gov Brown to do that, is a critical issue because it permanently harms children by removing their foundation in life.
Oh, and “Skippy,” it is not the voters responsibility to “pony up” as you claimed. It is the refusal by government to properly budget that is at fault.
Even now, the top people in the California legislature are refusing to reduce their budgets.
This whole issue has come about because they have refused for years to reduce their spending.
Now they THREATEN the voters kids even as public employees are walking away with lifetime cash public pensions 17 years before anyone else can hope to claim social security.
“YOU RECEIVED A PUBLIC PAID EDUCATION, or at least most of you did. Now it’s YOUR TURN to pay for the next generations no matter the cost.”
In other words, if it takes 110% of all tax revenues to feather the Big Govt nest, and the kids get a crappy education to boot, it is our responsibility to pony up.
After the collapse of unfunded school pensions, we will be dismantling the entire Big Govt miseducation system.
We will fire all the employees, dissolve the Boards and Depts. of Ed., sell off the facilities to the highest bidder, and return their kids and their crippling taxes to the parents.
Then entrepeneurs will organize a system based on capitalism that will deliver a quality product at affordable prices.
Your good thing is about to end.
“Bond Money” = borrowed money.
As in Government BORROWING money.
As in borrowed money that costs every taxpayer repayments plus interest.
Just so that is clear to everyone.
As a parent and grandparent, as far as I’m concerned, education should be a spending priority. An educated populace is what makes a country strong. Business needs educated workers as well.
We pay parcel taxes and need school bonds because of proposition 13. Not only has it become inequitable for homeowners and small businesses but it has been a boon for big businesses that would have to pay more if the prop didn’t exist. For example, if big businesses merge, as long as both continue to have separate boards with one member of each previous business on each board, their tax base for both properties remain the same. And you can bet big business knows this. There are other tax breaks as well. The business portion of prop 13 needs to be reworked and fairer. The people of California now pay a higher percentage of property taxes than big business does. We used to pay about 25 to 30% of what business paid. Over the years of Prop 13 the burdon has shifted away from business to homeowners. I have statistics that show this quite graphically.
I am surprised at how posters moan and groan at money spent on education. The old argument that you’re older and don’t have kids and grandkids just doesn’t fly. YOU RECEIVED A PUBLIC PAID EDUCATION, or at least most of you did. Now it’s YOUR TURN to pay for the next generations no matter the cost.
@Common Sense. It won’t end and it’s only the beginning.
The forthcoming bond issues, parcel taxes, extension of existing parcel taxes and increase in sales taxes is only the beginning of the horror show in California and Sonoma County. It will never end!The Democratic leadership in our president, governor, superviors and town councils want their friends and neighbors to pay for the unfunded union pensions(next 30 years) and have the country, state and counties fail possibly forever. This is part of the Obama Plan…destroy the system but fund the unions because they are the footsoldiers. This is how he becomes the supreme leader. In addition to the bonds and taxes above expect chaos and war before the 2012 election.
Brown is bringing up the old tune ” For the children” to combat taxpayer outrage and using education as the scapegoat. Brown has been instrumental since the 1970′s in destroying California public education. It’s OK to rip off taxpayers, so some 5% of the population can continue with a wonderful life and give scholarships and untold benefits to illegal aliens.
School superintendents are concerned about new facilities and accept the poor education standard they are in charge of.It’s business as usual.
Even if you are a liberal democratic you must be smart enough to realize at this point the “gaga” end game is in play and you may suffer the rest of the game.
The first step is to vote NO on bond issues which, if default may result in increasing taxes further,and any tax increases. The kids will not benefit in education value and don’t know or care about solar panels. In the big picture the majority of our school age kids will not have productive lives which will contribute to the demise of the community. The schools know this and are allowing unions on campuses.
Constructing a performing arts facility at El Mo (estimates range from $3.1 million for a remodel to $14.2 million for a stand-alone building) doesn’t make sense when enrollment there is on steady decline. What makes sense is to merge Analy & El Mo in Sebastopol and move Laguna to the El Mo site.
Democrats love taxes and love to pay themselves high wages. We need to stop this train by not voting for any of them, find out who the most fiscally conservative person is and vote that person in.
Notice that as soon as you give them one bond which is putting us into debt they are already putting another bond for MORE money on the November ballot. And hold you wallets as the State/County and cities are all going to have their special ballots for bonds. I notice that my propriety taxes are already are paying 3 school bonds and a couple of county ones. WHERE does it stop?