The Willow Glen Resident

S.J. Unified has major plans for bond funds

Plan to spruce up schools finds much approval so far

By Rebecca Wallace

Ten months after the San Jose Unified School District passed a $165 million bond to spruce up school facilities, the district's northern neighbor followed suit with a $144 million bond of its own.

Nearly eighty percent of voters in the Fremont Union High School District, which covers Cupertino, Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose, supported the district's bond proposal in an April 14 special election. Residents in the SJUSD passed its proposal in June 1997 with a nearly three-quarters majority.

And is the SJUSD still setting a good example in planning how to spend the money? Many district officials and parents say yes.

"The feedback has been very good," said district superintendent Linda Murray. "I think everybody realizes that we're being very thorough, very deliberate, trying to make the most out of every dollar."

Kitchell, the firm hired to oversee the planning process, has compiled a master plan of work through the year 2004, which begins with crucial tasks such as ensuring that schools' buildings and roofs are sound, upgrading fire alarms and meeting standards for safety and for people with disabilities, said facilities director Rod Sprecher.

Lower on the list are more cosmetic repairs such as painting classrooms and replacing carpets. Kitchell's consultants based the plan on "need" lists the schools submitted before the bond election. The plan received public input and was approved by the bond oversight committee and the school board.

"Obviously, we weren't able to do as much as we wanted," Sprecher said. "All required things will be done, but there wasn't much money left over for 'gingerbread.' "

Not everyone, of course, is totally satisfied with the program.

Michael Johnson, a 1996 candidate for the SJUSD board of trustees who denounced the bond proposal, said the district could have managed its money better so that a bond might not have been necessary. After a bond passes, residents pay property taxes based on the assessed value of their homes.

District spokesperson Maureen Munroe responded that the state had not provided sufficient funds for deferred maintenance, and state officials agreed that "billions of dollars must be spent on schools to catch up."

She added, "You can't replace roofs on a budget that's meant to be replacing window panes."

Karen and Will Clinton, who headed the group of parents who recently sought to leave San Jose Unified, had said before the 1997 election that they were undecided on the bond measure. But both said they were pleased with the district's plan.

"We both feel very comfortable with the district's approach to planning," Karen said. "Certainly all the improvements we'd love to see get done won't get done, but I think the district is doing a very good job--so far."

Will, who serves on the bond oversight committee, said, "Most of the parents on the committee are very happy about what's happening and the way the district is handling it."

In Willow Glen, Booksin and Schallenberger elementary schools are in the first group of schools where work will begin: the design phase began in January, bids are set to be sent out around July, and construction is scheduled to begin in November.

Who's on first?

The question of which schools would get repairs done first was answered based on several factors, Murray said. The district plans to take care of the most serious problems first and is spreading out the work at schools in the same area so something is always happening in every area of the district.

Work has been divided into "A" and "B" phases, with "A" the most crucial. The district will likely not have funds to do all of the work in the "B" category unless it qualifies for more state funding, Sprecher said.

Although the state did not place its $4 billion facilities bond on the June ballot, a state facilities bond may appear on the November ballot, and the SJUSD hopes to qualify for matching funds if it passes, Murray said.

"We're eligible for about $30 million that we can match with our bond proceeds," Murray said, citing an example: "If one of our schools is eligible for $2 million in remodeling money, the state will give us $1 million if we match the other million."

"A" category work at Booksin includes installing new heating and cooling systems in 12 classrooms, upgrading the electrical system and installing handicapped-accessible ramps and railings. "B" category work includes replacing classroom carpet and tiles.

Priority work at Schallenberger includes new heating and cooling systems in three buildings and installing a wheelchair lift. "B" work includes replacing the schoolwide clock-bell-paging system.

Work is scheduled to begin at Willow Glen Middle and Hacienda Elementary schools in the summer of 1999, at River Glen and Willow Glen elementaries and Willow Glen High School in the summer of 2000 and at Broadway High School in the summer of 2001.

For more information about the bond construction work, call Pam Kinzie, senior project manager for Kitchell, at 535-4730.

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