Voters pass ‘no cost’ school bond

February 6, 2008

There will soon be leak-proof roofs, more classrooms and working plumbing at schools throughout the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District after voters approved a a $175 million bond measure yesterday.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a “no-cost” bond measure slated to address facility needs. Measure L will continue the tax previously approved by voters in 1997. More than 70 percent of the votes, 7,391 votes, were in favor of measure, according to results reported by the San Mateo County Elections Office as of 10:30 p.m. The measure required 55 percent approval to pass. Property owners will pay the 2008 tax level of $33 per $100,000 of the assessed property value.

“The numbers are very good,” said Trustee Mark Hudak around 9:20 p.m. “We’re at 72 percent now which bodes well for us. ... At this point we’re grateful to the community for supporting us and the volunteers. And we’re eager to get started.”

A number of problems are hoped to be addressed with the bond money.

Leaky roofs and windows are causing other problems at Fiesta Gardens International Elementary School in San Mateo. For example, a closet housing the cable and Internet cords utilizes a tarp leading into a trash can to catch water. Many rooms on campus were not updated when the school was reopened in 1993. A large open space, for example, sits relatively empty in the center of the school. It needs new carpets, safety upgrades and leaks repaired before it could be utilized for children.

Fiesta Gardens International Elementary School is just one of the campuses that would benefit from such upgrades.

Voters approved a bond measure in 1997. Last year, the district refinanced the debt reducing the bond payments by nine years, Trustee Mark Hudak. If the district went for another bond measure, it would continue the tax level already paid by homeowners for no more than 40 years.

There were no arguments against Measure L filed with the San Mateo County Office of Elections.

The project list ranges from basic repairs like addressing leaky roofs, faulty plumbing, aging heating/cooling systems and hazardous materials to improving technology in classrooms and libraries. Improvements are intended to have energy efficiency in mind. The money would also allow the district to add classrooms or buy land.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.

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If approved, the Measure L project list includes:

• Repairing and upgrading roofs, walls, and floors;

• Replacing existing wiring systems;  

• Creating additional electrical service capacity;

• Replacing existing plumbing systems to meet current codes, including the elimination of lead-containing fixtures;

• Upgrading bathrooms;

• Replacing older heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems;

• Installing code-compliant ventilating systems in bathrooms;

• Providing enhanced computer labs;  

• Upgrading and equipping labs, multipurpose rooms, food service facilities, auditoriums, libraries,

and other school facilities;  

• Providing new paint, carpet/vinyl tile/asbestos abatement, white markerboards, tackable surfaces, increase secure storage capacity for instructional materials and equipment for classrooms;  

• Replacing existing window systems with energy efficient systems;

• Improving and/or expanding library services;

• Renovating, repairing, and/or upgrading existing elementary and middle schools; and

• Repairing aging schools.