Charter Oak to Put $47 Million Bond on Ballot

After a consulting firm presented its first draft of a facilities master plan for Charter Oak Unified School District, the school board unanimously voted to put a $47 million general obligation bond before voters in the June 5, 2012 election.

According to the resolution passed Thursday evening, if passed by voters, the bond will be used fund new facilities projects and upgrades throughout the district’s eight campuses.

The district projects the highest tax rate based on a projection of assessed valuation at $60 per $100,000 for fiscal year 2019-2020.

Superintendent Mike Hendricks said the district hired a research firm to conduct a telephone survey of 400 people to see if there was enough community support for a new bond measure, finding overall support for the bond.

Respondents in the survey cited upgrades in classroom facilities, technology, modernization and upgrades to athletics facilities as their top priorities.

were scheduled to gain public feedback for the district’s master plan.

Consultants with Dougherty + Dougherty LLP collected public feedback and presented its first draft to the board Thursday. Recommendations included replacing aging portable classrooms with permanent buildings, shaded areas, upgrades to multipurpose rooms, kitchens and administration buildings, and a new performing arts center at the high school. 

But the most vocal feedback concerned the aging aquatics facility at Charter Oak high school. A group of parents have organized a at the school. Parents and students spoke during Thursday’s meeting, claiming unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the pools. 

Betsey Olenick Dougherty, partner with Dougherty + Dougherty LLP, said those comments did not fall on deaf ears.

Included in the master plan is a recommendation for a new 10-lane swimming pool that would comply with competition standards, said Dougherty.

While Dougherty said the current plan provided a broad overview of project recommendations, Dougherty reminded the public that the bond may not cover every project listed in the plan. District and school board officials will decide which projects will be funded by the voter-approved bond.

The district used $30 million in Measure C bond money to complete modernization projects throughout schools in the district. Nearly $3 million in federal stimulus money was used to renovate the quad area, football field and running track

However, not every person in attendance at the meeting supported the bond.

“I do not support this bond issue, because I do not know what I am buying and how much I am paying for it, “ said Glendora resident Lois Shade. “You’re asking me to give you a blank check.”

School board member Bob Cruz conceded that the district had to do a better job in communicating the purpose and progress of the bond.

“If we are going to be asking our community to support this… transparency will be key, and you better convince the community what those projects are going to be and how we’re going to track those,” said Cruz.

Board members said they were confident the community would support the bond on Election Day.

“I think the people in our community will support keeping our school district in good shape and we will be doing some great things,” said Board Chair Joe Probst.  “Maybe four years from now we’ll have a pool party.”