Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Argonaut School fourth-graders work on a class project. Principal Sue Brooks says the mismatching floor tiles are the result of too little money to make needed repairs.

Bond supporters take to the streets

Bond issue would repair and renovate classrooms

By Sarah Lombardo

In less than two weeks, the Saratoga Union School District could be celebrating the passage of a $40 million dollar bond for repairs, renovations and the construction of new classrooms. Or they could be could be wondering what went wrong.

With the campaign clock running out, supporters of the bond have taken to the streets, canvassing door-to-door to reach those residents they haven't reached by phone.

"It's going very positively," said school board member Cindy Ruby. "It's a walking campaign now, going from precinct to precinct."

The measure needs two-thirds approval to pass, and if it passes, it'll be a victory for the schools, especially given the history of bond measures and parcel taxes in Saratoga. Parcel taxes for school improvements were defeated by Saratogans in 1991 and 1992, making Saratoga the only West Valley city without a parcel tax or bond measure in effect for its schools.

Proponents of Measure D point to the leaky roofs, the aging restrooms and the portable classrooms in their district, which includes Argonaut Elementary School, Saratoga Elementary School, Foothill Elementary School and Redwood Middle School, and to the rising costs of construction to justify the bond measure.

"This isn't just a year-by-year portable solution," said Ruby, referring to the many portable classrooms added to school grounds to make room. "This is a look at the infrastructure. The infrastructure is 40 years old, and anyone who has bought a 40-year-old house knows that it needs some work in roofing and plumbing. We're in the same position."

With Saratoga Union's schools dating back that far, educators said, the time has come and gone to simply repair the schools. The time has come to improve them.

"We are addressing immediate safety concerns now," said Ruby, "but we know (the schools) could be made safer."

According to the district's Facilities Master Plan, approved in January, recommendations for improvements to the schools include the construction of additional classrooms, the removal or abatement of asbestos, seismic upgrades, the addition of restrooms and student drop-off zones, perimeter fencing and gates, replacement of underground utilities, improved access for the disabled, the upgrade of interior lighting and ceilings, the repair of cracked and unsafe asphalt, the addition of data and video technology and the improvement of drainage of the fields at all four schools. Library expansion and remodeling is also slated for Redwood, as is the construction of modern science classrooms and an improved kitchen.

And proponents of Measure D also point to the projected rise in enrollment looming over Saratoga Union schools to support their need.

A demographic study conducted by Burke Consulting of Sacramento projects a 25 percent increase in enrollment in Saratoga over the next 10 years, which, Ruby said, would add about another 500 to 600 students to the district's already packed classrooms.

But some Saratogans aren't buying it. Elaine Hocker, a resident of Saratoga since late 1956, said she believes the bond is just too high. Hocker said she thinks the district should be able to survive on state and other funds without asking its residents to support a $40 million bond measure.

"I feel there is just too much wasted budget," Hocker said. "I worked as an administrator for over 30 years, and when I see anything operating on a non-cost effective basis, I don't want to support it."

Hocker also pointed out the cost of the bond over time and said it's just too much. According to a breakdown of the bond supplied by Paine Webber, advising the district on the issue, the $40 million bond could cost residents $94 million over its 30 years because of interest.

"I think the bond is too costly, and it's just not people like me who are going to be paying it off," she said. "It's anyone who owns my house, and our children and grandchildren. And that's just not fair."

But school board member Peggy Koen said the interest on the bond is not unusual and likens it to buying a house. "It's just like your mortgage," she said.

Koen brought up a question put to Assemblyman Jim Cunneen at a recent Town Hall meeting. A resident asked if the bond measure wasn't an inefficient way to pay for something. "He said, 'Shouldn't you pay as you go?'" Koen recalled. "And Cunneen very clearly said that long-term capital projects need long-term financing. That's been our assessment as a school board. I think that has been any financial advisor's assessment.

"(These funds) are to make sure that these improvements are going to be significant, they're going to be long-lasting, and the life of the bond matches the expected life of the facilities."

Superintendent Mary Gardiner stresses that the district has attempted to get funding for its improvements from the many state sources, but the district just doesn't qualify for many of them. And, she said, money often goes to communities that provide matching funds first.

Koen said she hopes that residents will see the benefit of the bond and realize that it is the quickest, most efficient way to get the money needed for Saratoga schools.

"I think we find that when people have the answers, they understand," she said. "They are complicated issues. No one wants to pay more tax, but when you know what the tax is going for, that it's staying within your community, that the need is very real--in my mind, how could you say no?"

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