By Allison Jarrell
The Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees gave staff direction on May 25 to move forward with preparing a June 8 presentation on the specifics of placing an $889 million general obligation bond on the November 2016 general election ballot. The bond would be used to fund more than $800 million in deferred maintenance of district facilities.
Beginning in mid-October 2015, a Community Committee on School Classrooms and Campus Facilities began holding meetings on topics including facilities funding and ultimately recommended the district board “pursue additional funds from all possible resources for its school facilities,” “transition to a district-wide funding model over time,” and “pursue a district-wide general obligation bond to further raise additional funds.”
According to a phone survey conducted from April 28 to May 10, of the 1,171 Capo Unified voters surveyed, 62 percent of respondents would definitely or probably vote “yes” or lean toward voting “yes” in favor of an $889 million bond measure to fund repairs and upgrades to district facilities. About 29 percent of residents polled would definitely or probably vote “no” or lean toward voting “no.”
The board directed staff to prepare a June 8 bond presentation with the goal of voting on the bond measure on June 22. Since the deadline for placing a bond measure on the November ballot is Aug. 12, the last opportunity for the board to vote on the measure would be its regularly scheduled meeting on July 20. Two-thirds of the board—five trustees—must approve the measure for it to be placed on the ballot.
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