By Mary-Justine Lanyon
The vote was unanimous – 5-0 – on the part of the trustees of the Rim of the World Unified School District to post a bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Three of Rim’s campuses could be eligible for some state funding for improvements.
That vote took place after two related presentations – one on a facilities master plan and needs assessment update and one on an additional bond survey that had been conducted.
The purpose of the facilities master plan and needs assessment update, said Jenny Haberlin, the district’s chief business official, is to see what it will take to both perform deferred maintenance and address future needs.
This question about how they would vote on a bond measure was asked of 400 community members.
Brett Merrick of K12 Partners told the board he has assessed more than 400 school sites in California. “Throughout the state,” he said, “I see a general lack of funding for facilities. In many cases, schools have been putting a Band-Aid on their problems.”
He complimented Jim Zimmer, the district’s director of maintenance, and his staff for their outstanding work. That said, Merrick presented his findings.
He had surveyed the staff at each of Rim’s campuses, asking them to rank such things as the kitchens, staff restrooms, libraries and athletic spaces both indoors and out. Staff was also asked to prioritize problems they perceived on their campuses.
Out of a high of 5, Charles Hoffman rated 3.1; Lake Arrowhead, 2.5; VOE, 2.8; MPH, 2.9; and Rim High 2.9. Topping nearly every list for problems that need to be fixed were leaking roofs and the HVAC systems.
Merrick shared photos from each site of some of the damage that needs to be addressed: water damage from roof leaks; cracking asphalt in parking lots; playground equipment that needs to be upgraded; restrooms that are not ADA compliant.
And then he shared what he called the “heart attack” page – Rim’s master plan summary (see photo). It is broken down in tasks that need to be done for health, safety and security reasons; major modernizations; basic modernizations; site infrastructure issues; and future new construction projects.
The “heart attack” aspect? The cost estimate totals $114,389,492. The two major components of major modernizations are roofing and HVAC systems, which total $47,154,949.
But Merrick didn’t leave the trustees hanging with these huge numbers. He went on to outline some funding options.
The state has some modernization funding available where they pay 60 percent and the district pays the other 40 percent.
How does a district access these funds? It is dependent on the age of the building, when it was last funded under this program and when it will be eligible again. According to Merrick, three campuses – LAE, Rim High and Mountain High – are eligible now (see chart).
“Many clients,” Merrick said, “have trouble coming up with the local match. You can use bond money for that.”
He advised the district to begin conversations with an eligibility consultant immediately.
In communicating with the community about a bond, Merrick said, “you want to show them what you can get from the state if they support the local bond measure.”
Merrick also addressed the issue of deferred maintenance, which total $3,514,892 at Rim’s six campuses. “I bring this up as a conversation piece,” he said. “Districts need to find a way to set aside more funds for maintenance. The current process seems to be that, if something breaks, you find the money to fix it.”
As he concluded his presentation, Merrick urged Rim to “continue to engage with stakeholders and community members on the importance of local funding options. Use that in conjunction with what’s available from the state and deferred maintenance.”
Trustee Scott Craft told Merrick that “this gives us the tool we need as we look at moving forward with a bond. It shows the need. We’re trying to be fiscally responsible and I think we are.”
To that President Jordan Zarate added that Merrick has provided “a roadmap to help us tell our story.”
That led to a presentation by Joy Kummer, a partner with TeamCivx, on the latest survey conducted on the feasibility of floating a bond measure in November.
The results, she told the trustees, was very consistent with those obtained in last year’s survey. The district, she noted, needs a positive vote of 55 percent for the bond measure to pass; according to the survey, 64 percent of the 400 people interviewed would approve the measure.
As part of the survey, they gave respondents a list of possible projects the bond money could be used for – replacing roofs, providing modern labs and career training facilities, fixing or installing air conditioning. Almost all were at a 55-percent “strongly favor” response; when “somewhat favor” was added in, they were at about 80 percent.
Kummer said the conclusion of this survey is that a bond appears to be feasible for a 2024 ballot. She said the district will need a strong communication effort and a strong independent campaign committee. The trustees and staff, she cautioned, cannot use district resources or time to advocate for the bond although they can do so as volunteers on their own time.
As part of the communication with the community, Kummer said, it needs to be made clear that the three cents per $100 assessed value of a home translates to an average of $81 a year.
When the action item with the ballot language came up on the agenda, Trustee Dr. Bill Mellinger noted that “we need this. The survey has gone out twice. Everything says people believe it’s necessary. They understand the value of education and understand it costs money to take care of the facilities.
“It’s time.”
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