| | Published October 5th, 2016
| Measure V in Moraga Slated for Safety and Technology at Schools
| | | By Sophie Braccini | | |
Moraga voters will decide on the November ballot for or against giving about $30 per $100,000 of their home's assessed value to the Moraga School District (MSD).
The school board decided to put to the vote the $35 million package known as Measure V after the school completed a facilities master plan listing the needed improvements to the learning environment. The plan includes such things as seismic upgrade for some classrooms, storm drains replacement, double pane windows installation, and also upgrade of telecommunication networks and purchase of mobile furniture, what Superintendent Bruce Burns calls a safe environment for 21st-century learning.
MSD is financed mostly by state money allocated per the number of students.
That allocation is not sufficient to subsidize capital improvement.
"We have enough to pay for our teachers and programs and to allocate 3 percent of our budget for current maintenance," says Burns. But the Moraga district, like many others, does not have the means to save for long-term capital projects. Burns adds that he and his team went to Sacramento to find other funding sources and found out that the MSD was not eligible for capital grants. If the bond passes, though, this will change and the district will apply for grants that require matching funding and that could extend the impact of Measure V, he said.
In 1995 Moraga voters approved a $12 million bond that residents will pay off until 2021. Burns says that this measure had allowed the reopening of Los Perales, the renovation of the two other elementary schools, the addition of the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate pavilion, and the addition of new technology. "This bond is still benefiting students today," says Burns, "like Measure V bond will benefit students tomorrow." Richard Severy, board member and co-chair of the bond committee, adds that bond money is for facilities and equipment only, not salary or programs.
Measure V will probably fund a series of very much needed improvements. A little over a year ago, MSD, which manages three elementary schools and one middle school, entrusted a consulting group to study its facilities. The report shows 50- year-old schools that have ongoing issues like leaking roofs, outdated plumbing, heating and air-conditioning issues, or faulty sewer systems. The report details and itemizes everything, including the seismic upgrades needed in some buildings. Severy says that these are not gold-plated additions, but items on a massive laundry list that need to be done. "The district has been able to do some maintenance over the years, but the needs far exceed its resources," he says.
Severy also indicates that the bond measure can be used to configure a more flexible study environment, improve the network infrastructure, and acquire additional tablets, for example. "The state cannot take that money away, and it will be used only for Moraga, only for the schools, only for the students.
Seniors will not be exempt of the bond, if passed. A citizens' oversight committee will control the way the funds will be used, and the committee will be audited independently. The committee will also determine the priority of the projects' completion. Measure V needs a 55 percent rate to pass.
A survey done by the school district shows that it should be approved, but Burns says he will not be comfortable until after the election.
There is currently no organized opposition to the bond measure.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA