West County schools seek taxpayer support Bond measures big part of upcoming election

Three West County school boards at separate meetings in June
approved placing general obligation bond measures on the November
ballot, in an attempt to secure funds for an array of projects,
many of which have a “green” component.
And all three — West Sonoma County Union High School District,
Twin Hills Union School District, and Forestville Union School
District — will go about it in the same way: Rather than raise
their existing tax rates, they will instead extend them out by way
of replacement bonds, which would essentially take over after the
current ones expire.
The FUSD board will determine the tax rate it will ask for at
its July 22 meeting, Superintendent Bob Borbe said. However, he
said, “It won’t be above $30 per $100,000 of assessed value, and it
could be less.” Homeowners in the FUSD currently pay $32 per
$100,000 assessed value.
Twin Hills will ask voters to pay slightly less than the current
rate of $35 per $100,000 of assessed value, due to the fact the
assessed valuation in the district has increased since the last
bond was approved by voters, Superintendent Les Crawford said.
Board members in the high school district spent over an hour at
their last meeting deliberating over whether it would be better to
increase the tax rate with the new bond – essentially going back to
the $25.96 rate approved by voters in 1996 — resulting in a quicker
pay off time, or keep it at its current rate of $11.50 per $100,000
assessed value. Superintendent Keller McDonald, using the analogy
of a 15-year mortgage versus a 30-year mortgage said the lower tax
rate would take longer to pay off, and in the end, people would be
paying more interest.
However, the board approved a measure that would keep the tax at
its current rate, fearing voters might not support an increase in
today’s struggling economy.
In the June election, statewide 75 percent of all general
obligation bonds passed, according to Greg Isom, the advisor
working with the WSCUHSD. And, Isom said, November elections have a
higher voter turnout, which should increase the chance of the bond
measure passing.
The majority of constituents in these districts, who responded
to bond measure surveys earlier this year, indicated they would
support a general obligation bond measure tax rate extension, but
not an increase.
State revenue for schools has been reduced by over 20 percent in
the last three years, according to Crawford.
“That’s huge,” he said. “The general obligation bond will enable
us to make up for the loss of state revenue, so we can maintain the
high quality instructional programs and facilities that we
have.”