Oak Grove Union School District Bond Issue, Measure K (November 2014)

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An Oak Grove Union School District Bond Issue, Measure K ballot question was on the November 4, 2014 election ballot for voters in the Oak Grove Union School District in Sonoma County, California. It was approved.

Upon its approval, Measure K was designed to authorize the district to increase its debt by $6 million through issuing general obligation bonds in that amount. District officials estimated the annual additional property tax rate required to repay these bonds to be $30 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

A 55 percent supermajority vote was required for the approval of Measure K.

Election results

Measure K
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		1,174	63.6%
No		672	36.4%

Election results from Sonoma County Elections Office

Text of measure

Ballot question

The question on the ballot:

“

To improve the quality of education with funding that cannot be taken by the State; make health, safety and handicapped accessibility improvements; modernize and renovate outdated classrooms, restrooms and school facilities; replace outdated windows; improve student access to computers and modern technology; and replace aging portables; shall the Oak Grove Union School District issue $6,000,000 of bonds at legal interest rates, with audits and independent citizens’ oversight and no money used for administrative salaries?

”

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis was prepared for Measure K:

“	The California Constitution allows school districts to borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for construction, repair, replacement, and acquisition of school facilities if 55 percent of the voters who vote on the measure approve the sale of the bonds. The Oak Grove Union School District Board of Education has called for an election and placed on the ballot the question of whether to issue bonds in the amount of $6 million for repairs and improvements of District classrooms and school facilities. Money raised by bond sales can be used for the purposes and projects stated in the Bond Project List set forth in the Measure. Projects include basic health and safety improvements; disability access upgrades; renovating classrooms and other facilities; educational technology improvements; and replacing portable classrooms. As required by state law, the measure prohibits using bond proceeds for teacher or administrator salaries or other operating expenses. The inclusion of a project on the Project List does not guarantee that the project will be funded or completed. The Project List does not imply any particular prioritization among improvements. When specific items are identified on the Project List, they are presented to provide an example of the types of projects that may be funded, and not to limit the generality of the broader description of the types of authorized projects. If the Measure is adopted, the District’s Board will conduct annual, independent financial and performance audits to ensure that bond proceeds have been expended only on the projects on the Bond Project List. In addition, a Citizens’ Oversight Committee will be established within sixty days of the entry of the election results on the Board’s minutes. The proceeds of the bonds will be maintained in a separate account in the County Treasury, and the Board must receive an annual report on the status of projects undertaken and the amount of bond proceeds received and expended in that year. If the Measure is approved, the District expects to sell the bonds in series over time. The funds to repay the bonds would be raised by an increase in property taxes based upon the value of land and improvements in the District. The interest rate on the bonds would depend on the market rate at the time the bonds are sold, but cannot exceed the rate set by state law. The Tax Rate Statement prepared by the District Superintendent, which follows this analysis, estimates the property tax levies required to pay off the bonds. The estimated tax levies are a projection, and could go up or down, depending on a number of factors including the timing and amount of bond sales, and changes in assessed value of property in the District.	”
—Jeffrey M. Brax, Sonoma County Deputy Counsel

Support

Supporters

The following individuals signed the official arguments in favor of Measure K:

• Terri Thiessen, president of the Oak Grove Union School District Board of Trustees
• James Waliszewski, retired Principal of the Arts Foundation
• Matthew Schondel, secretary of the Oak Grove Union School District Board of Trustees
• Rebecca Arvold, co-president of the Arts Foundation
• Katie Keen, co-president of the Oak Grove Parent Teacher Organization

Arguments in favor

The following was submitted as the official arguments in favor of Measure K:

“	Everyone knows the importance and value of having quality schools. From higher achieving students, to greater neighborhood safety and improved property values, quality schools make a difference. While our teachers and staff do their best in educating our children, many classrooms and school facilities in the Oak Grove Union School District are outdated and inadequate to provide children with the facilities they need to succeed. Our children need your Yes vote on Measure K! Although staff has done a great job of maintaining school facilities over the years, aging classrooms must be upgraded since many do not meet 21st century standards. A local school improvement measure would allow the District to improve the quality of the school facilities and education provided to local children. Therefore, we must invest in our schools so they meet today’s safety, technological, and educational needs. If passed, Measure K will make critical facility improvements at local schools by; making health, safety and handicapped accessibility improvements, modernizing and renovating outdated classrooms, restrooms and school facilities, improving student access to computers and modern technology, replacing aging temporary portables with permanent classrooms, and repairing or replacing deteriorating plumbing systems. Measure K makes financial sense and protects taxpayers. By law, spending must be reviewed and annually audited by an independent citizens’ oversight committee and all bond funds must be spent locally and cannot be taken by the state. In addition, funds can only be spent to improve local schools, not for teacher or administrator salaries. Measure K upgrades and repairs old, inadequate classrooms, improves the education of local children and maintains the quality of our community. That’s something we can all support. Please join us and vote yes on Measure K!	”
—Terri Thiessen, James Waliszewski, Matthew Schondel, Rebecca Arvold and Katie Keen

Opposition

Opponents

Jack Atkin, president of the Sonoma County Taxpayers' Association, signed the official arguments in opposition to Measure K.

Arguments against

The following was submitted as the official arguments in opposition to Measure K:

“	Taxpayers have a right to expect school districts will not raise taxes through bond sales every time a school roof or a heating system needs replacing. They also have a right to expect, when bonds are used to finance school improvements, that those bonds will be repaid over the useful lives of the improvements the bonds finance, and not stretch payments for short-lived assets over 30 years or more. To structure a long term bond to fund things like technology improvements that have a notoriously short lives, is similar to using a 30 year mortgage to purchase a car. The car will long be retired when the mortgage is still being repaid. The Oak Grove District cannot meet the minimum basic requirements for a supportable bond measure. The District has not performed a reserve study, does not have a reserve fund dedicated for replacement of major building components and the reserve fund they do have is largely committed for other purposes. Unlike the Santa Rosa School District, which has structured its bonds to repay for technology improvements over three years, the Oak Grove bond has no such protective structure. Therefore, we oppose this proposed tax increase, and urge the District to implement a prudent reserving practice and to restructure any future bond proposals.	”
—Jack Atkin, president of the Sonoma County Taxpayers' Association

See also

• School bond elections in California
• Local school bonds on the ballot
• Sonoma County, California ballot measures
• November 4, 2014 ballot measures in California

External links

Suggest a link

• Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office website