Saratoga News

Campaign begins for $79 million bond measure for joint H.S. district

Ron Adolphson makes case to Good Government Group

It's 'the right thing to do'

By John Pancharian

Saratoga and Los Gatos high schools are too small and they're falling apart, so we need to pass a bond. That was the conclusion of a facilities assessment prepared for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. On March 24, Ron Adolphson, president of the district's board of trustees, presented copies of the report to the Saratoga Good Government Group to enlist voter support in passing the bond.

The $79 million bond will appear on the June 2 ballot as Measure B, and if passed, it will fund major repairs and new construction at both high schools. Los Gatos High School would receive $44.7 million and Saratoga $34.3 million--which breaks down in proportion to the number of students at both schools, Adolphson said.

If the bond passes, residents will pay $35 per $100,000 of assessed value of their house each year over the 40-year life of the bond.

"We on the board and many supporters believe this is the right thing to do," Adolphson said. "Yes, it is a burden on the taxpayers, but it's worth it, especially when you consider that property values are directly related to the school district." All other factors being equal, the value of a home in the Los Gatos and Saratoga school districts averages 20 percent higher than one outside, said Ian Macrae, a real estate agent with The Marketing Place in Los Gatos.In gearing up for the campaign, the high school district conducted a telephone poll to determine the bond's chances for success. "You can only go to the well so many times," Adolphson said, "but we were aware of that when we entered into the decision. It was part of the phone poll, and our feeling is that we have an excellent chance of winning."

The campaign will be run by volunteers who have organized as Friends of Los Gatos and Saratoga High Schools. Co-chairwomen are Cindy Ruby of Saratoga and Joan Henricks of Los Gatos. Campaign headquarters has been set up at 983 University Ave., Los Gatos, in office space donated by Redbrick Software, which is moving its offices to new facilities.

"We have got to raise $100,000," Adolphson said, "because we can't use any district money on the campaign, I think appropriately enough." He added that approximately 25 percent of that sum has been raised.

According to the facilities assessment, both schools need new classroom space to accommodate rising enrollment, especially in the sciences. Many buildings require work to come up to fire and earthquake codes; roofs leak, and plumbing and wiring need replacing. "The need is obvious when you're there," Adolphson said. "When it rains, you can see the leaking ceilings. It's fun to walk down the halls and dodge buckets put out there to catch drips."

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