Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Lily Ogden, principal of Saratoga Elementary School, hopes that the half-dozen large eucalyptus trees on the playground will get some attention when district officials start making funding decisions. She is concerned about the asphalt that completely covers the roots and wonders if the trees might blow over in a strong wind.

District begins plans for bond funds

By Sarah Lombardo

Discussions began this week among Saratoga Union School District board members about how to spend their newfound funds. Thanks to Measure D's passage at the polls June 3, the district is soon to be $40 million richer and stands ready to make some much-needed repairs to its four schools: Argonaut, Foothill, Saratoga elementary schools and Redwood Middle School.

Measure D passed with 2,589 more yes votes than no votes, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. It needed a two-thirds majority to win.

By law, Measure D moneys can only be used for renovations, repairs and new construction for the schools. Although a facilities master plan does exist for the district, school officials now face the task of taking care of the detail work involved, such as arranging for bids and deciding which projects to tackle first.

But before that, board members and volunteers in support of the school bond spent last week taking a much-needed rest.

"Everyone just needs to take a moment and take a breath," board member Peggy Keon said. "This was a lot of effort and a lot of teamwork, and I think we all just need to relax a minute. When we do get started, we will plunge in with both feet."

School officials are not the only ones who will be hard at work, however. Some opponents of Measure D said they will continue to fight to change the educational system at the local and state levels.

Elaine Hocker, involved in the No on D campaign, called the system "mismanaged" and said she wants to see it changed, but said she thought the blame lies primarily with the state.

"The cost of education could operate at one-tenth of what it does now," she said. "I will continue to oppose taxing people at the ground level."

Hocker added that her biggest reservation about the bond was its amount, $94 million with interest over the 30-year life of the bond.

"This is an unfair long-term obligation on the children of Saratoga," she said. Measure D is expected to cost homeowners an estimated $39 per year per $100,000 of a home's assessed value, according to estimates by Paine Webber financial consultants, who have been advising SUSD officials throughout the campaign.

Board president Stephanie Petrossi said she believes concern for the future of Saratoga's children was the reason the bond passed.

"I think residents knew this was what was needed for the children," she said.

Keon agreed: "I'm personally thrilled that it paid off for the community," she said. "This was the right thing to do for the community. ... I think people knew that what we needed was what we needed, and that's how they voted."

Measure D's passage is a change in what seemed to be a recent trend in the school district's ability to convince voters to pay more for their schools: Parcel taxes for school maintenance and repairs were defeated in 1991 and 1992. Before last week, Saratoga was the only West Valley city to not have a bond or parcel tax in effect for its schools.

Keon said board members expected they had their work cut out for them.

"We knew it would take a lot of hard work, and it paid off," she said.

Petrossi said she had her doubts at first about the measure's chances, but changed her mind when she saw all the people who volunteered to help in the campaign.

"We have had hundreds of volunteers, both from the community and parents," she said. "The night before election day, I looked around and I thought, 'These people have worked so hard, this has to pass.' "

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