The Sun
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Photograph by George Sakkestad

At the Feb. 3 bond kickoff rally, Anita Abedian and Bonnie Jun reviewed a list of repairs that will likely be done at their high school if Measure H passes.

FUHSD starts campaign for April bond measure

By Justin Berton

Cheerleaders led chants of "Go, fight, win" as supporters of Measure H, the $144 million facilities bond for Fremont Union High School District, unveiled their campaign strategy Feb. 3 at the Quinlan Center in Cupertino.

Voters will decide on the measure in an April 14 special election. The district needs to win by a two-thirds majority, a figure the Tramutola Company, the district's campaign consultant, estimates could be met with 25,000 votes.

If the bond measure is approved, property owners in the district, which spreads across Cupertino, Sunnyvale and San Jose, will pay about $25 per $100,000 of their assesed property value for the next 25 years. The bond will only cover renovation and modernization of the existing campuses.

Ariane Lehew, of Tramutola, told the crowd that passing a bond measure for high school districts is no easy task, even though Tramutola has won 55 of its last 59 bond races.

"In the state of California, less than a third of general bonds are successful," she said.

Superinetendent Joe Hamilton said the schools can't wait much longer for repairs, and the communty needs to come together to pass a bond. The district's schools range from 30 to 70 years old. Leaky roofs, deteriorated restrooms, decaying flooring and poor ventilation and heating systems are among the problems the district says must be fixed. "Right now we are at a crossroads in our community in terms of the facilities," Hamilton said.

At its Dec. 9 meeting, the district board of trustees decided to put the general obligation bond on the ballot. The decision followed a year-long investigation by the Facilities Committee, which surveyed the district's five high schools and prioritized their repair needs. The committee also provided an estimate of the repair costs.

If passed, $119 million of the bond will be spent over the next eight years to repair a majority of the needs determined by the Facilites Committee. The other $25 million will be dispersed over the remaining 17 years to maintain the upgrades.

The last time a bond measure passed in the district was in the mid-1960s. Voters approved a bond that paid for three new high schools.

Last Febuary, a phone survey of 400 probable voters found that 76 percent would vote "yes" for the bond, 9 percent more than needed to win.

If the district passes a bond, it could capitalize on funds from Gov. Wilson's proposed statewide bond, which voters will decide on in June. Wilson's bond earmarks $450 million over two years for renovation and modernization of California's schools. If the state's bond passes, it has agreed to match local funds for specific projects, meaning districts must first come up with their own money.

Gene Longientti, district coordinator of property managment, said the Fremont district would be forced to compete with the other 1,000 districts in California for a portion of the $225 million per year.

Longinetti said Phase One Applicaton Inc., an education consulting firm, estimated the Fremont district would be eligible for $13 million under the statewide bond.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, February 11, 1998.
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