LWV League of Women Voters of California
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Stanislaus County, CA November 6, 2001 Election
Measure T
School Improvement
Modesto City High School District

Bond Issue - 55% Approval Required

16,296 / 67.4% Yes votes ...... 7,857 / 32.5% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Information shown below: Fiscal Impact | Yes/No Meaning | Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Full Text

To repair older school classrooms and buildings, construct, acquire, and furnish school facilities, acquire sites, add classrooms, science and computer labs, libraries, upgrade heating and cooling systems and electrical wiring for technology, repair roofs and deteriorating restrooms, shall the Modesto City High School District issue $65 million of bonds at legal interest rates, appoint a citizens oversight committee, and perform annual financial and performance audits, with no proceeds used for teacher or administrator salaries or other school operating expenses?

Fiscal Impact from the Associate Superintendent, Business Services, of the district:
An election will be held in the Modesto City High School District (the "High School District") on November 6, 2001, to authorize the sale of up to $65,000,000 in bonds of the High School District to finance school facilities as described in the proposition. If the bonds are approved, the High School District expects to sell the bonds in series over time. Principal and interest on the bonds will be payable from tax levies made upon the taxable property in the High School District. The following information is provided in compliance with Sections 9400-9404 of the Elections Code of the State of California, and is expressed as a rate per $100 of assessed valuation, as follows:

1. First year of levy after the first sale of the bonds (2008-09): 30.0 cents

2. First year of the levy after sale of the last series of the bonds (2008-09): 30.0 cents

3. Highest annual rate during the entire period of indebtedness (2009-10): 30.0 cents

These estimates would result in an average annual tax rate over the life of the bonds of $29.98 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

Voters should note that estimated tax rate is based on the ASSESSED VALUE of taxable property on the County's official tax rolls, not on the property's market value.

These tax rates and the years in which they apply are based on assumptions with respect to assessed valuation growth, the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold at any one time, the interest rate on the bonds, and the other such factors. The tax rates and the years in which they apply are estimates based on the best information available as of the date hereof. Although the High School District has made every effort to reasonably account for the factors which may affect the tax rates and the years in which they apply, these estimates are not binding on the High School District. The actual tax rates and the years in which they apply may vary from those presently estimated.

Dated: August 9, 2001

/s/ Deborah S. Bailey

Meaning of Voting Yes/No
A YES vote of this measure means:
you want to authorize the District to issue and sell the bonds.

A NO vote of this measure means:
you are against authorizing the Distict to issue and sell the bonds.

Impartial Analysis from the County Counsel
If approved by fifty-five percent (55%) of the votes cast by the voters voting thereon, this meausre would authorize the Board of Trustees of the Modesto City High School District to issue and sell general obligation bonds of the District in amounts not to exceed a total of $65,000,000.

The issuance and sale of a bond by a school District is for the purpose of raising money for the District and represents a debt of the District. In exchange for money received from the holder of the bond, the District promises to pay the holder a set amount of interest for a certain time and to repay the loan on the expiration date.

A resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Modesto City High School District on July 16, 2001, stated the bond shall be issued and sold for the purpose of repairing older school classrooms and buildings, constructing, acquiring and furnishing school facilities, acquiring sites, adding classrooms, science and computer labs as well as libraries, upgrading electrical wiring for techology, heating and cooling systems and repairing roofs and deteriorating restrooms. The bond will bear intesest at a rate not to exceed the legal limit.

If this measure passes, a tax shall annually levy on property within the District not to exceed thirty dollars ($30) per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of taxable property in the District. The tax shall be sufficient to pay the interest on the bonds as it becomes due. The tax shall be sufficient to provide funds for the payment of such part of the princial and interest as shall become due before the proceeds of the next general tax levy can be made available for the payment of principal and interest.

--A "yes" vote is a vote to authorize the District to issue and sell the bonds.

--A "no" vote is against authorizing the Distict to issue and sell the bonds.

This analysis is submitted by the Office of the Stanislaus County Counsel pursuant to the requirements of Section 9500 and following of the Elections Code of the State of California.

/s/ Michael H. Krausnick

 
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Arguments For Measure T
Measure T is for Taxpayer Accountability.

Modesto's high schools are already overcrowded and need repairs.

Growth in our area has resulted in overcrowing at local high schools. Measure T provides for the construction of badly needed high school classrooms.

It will eliminate the need for busing students across the district and allow them to attend school in their own neighborhoods.

Measure T will repair older buildings. It will replace outdated electrical wiring, heating and plumbing systems.

Many high school science labs are outdated and our schools are not adequately wired for technology and computers.

Measure T will provide funding to wire high schools for technology.

We can replace outdated science labs to meet state standards and add new computer labs and libraries.

The money from Measure T will be spent on school buildings and classrooms. No money from this measure can go to administrators' or teachers' salaries.

And there is accountability for taxpayers. A Citizens' Oversight Committee will be established, made up of community members with expertise in finance, construction management and education.

The Citizens' Oversight Committee will make sure the funds are spent efficiently and only on projects approved by the voters. There will be annual financial and performance audits.

Measure T will not increase the Modesto High School bond tax rate.

It commits us to maintaining existing schools, repairing older classrooms, adding new computer and science labs and libraries, and building new high school classrooms.

In addition, Measure T allows us to apply for millions of dollars in matching funds from the state.

Measure T is the Modesto High School Bond for School Repair and Taxpayer Accountability.

Please join us in voting "Yes" on Measure T.

/s/ Louis Friedman
Retired Winery Chief Financial Officer

/s/ Megan Gowans
President Modesto Teachers Association

/s/ Cecil Ridge
Modesto Firefighter

/s/ Jeff Grover Businessman

/s/ Rich Delgade
Modesto Police Officers Association

(No arguments against Measure T were submitted)

Full Text of Measure T
The following is the full proposition presented to the voters by the Modesto City High School District.

"To repair older school classrooms and buildings, construct, acquire, and furnish school facilities, acquire sites, add classrooms, science and computer labs, libraries, upgrade heating and cooling systems and electrical wiring for technology, repair roofs and deteriorating restrooms, shall the Modesto City High School District issue $65 million of bonds at legal interest rates, appoint a citizens oversight committee, and perform annual financial and performance audits, with no proceeds used for teacher or administrator salaries or other school operating expenses?"

The Board of Education of Modesto City High School District has evaluated safety, class size reduction, and information technology needs in developing the list of school facilities projects to be funded, as included in the District's School Facilities Fee Plan, approved by the Board on March 31, 2000, as shall be amended from time to time, including but not limited to the following projects at the estimated costs shown:

ProjectCost
(A) The District's share of the cost to acquire land, construct and furnish a new comprehensive high school in the Salida area
$29,500,000
(B) The District's cost to acquire land, construct and furnish a new comprehensive high school in the northeast Modesto (Village One) area
$29,500,000

The construction of both of the new high schools is dependent on the receipt of sufficient State matching funds. In the event that the District does not receive enough State money, the bond proceeds may be allocated to the completion of only one of the proposed high schools. If sufficient State matching funds are received and to the extent that there are surplus bond monies after completing the funding of the two high schools, it is the District's intent to fund the following additional projects:

ProjectCost
(C) Expand, renovate and construct a library at Davis High School
$2,000,000
(D) Heating and cooling systems and electrical upgrades at Downey, Modesto and Davis High Schools, and Elliott Alternative Education Center
$4,000,000


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Created: December 3, 2001 02:34
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