San Juan Unified Voters Will Decide Fate of $350 Million School Bond

Voters today will decide whether aging schools in the San Juan Unified School District – including one campus that dates back to the Roosevelt era – will get a $350 million boost to pay for repairs and renovations.

Measure N, which requires at least 55 percent approval, would fund projects such as:

• Modernizing classrooms and portable buildings
• Improving infrastructure for new technology
• Renovating and constructing outdoor learning facilities
• Installing energy efficient equipment
• Repairing and upgrading safety alarms at schools

Most of the schools in the nearly 100 year-old district are between 40 and 60 years old. On some campuses, including 70 year-old Sylvan Middle School in Citrus Heights, Measure N would also help pay for basic fixes like replacing old rooftops and upgrading water and sewer lines.

If approved, Measure N would increase property taxes by approximately $60 per $100,000 assessed valuation and would require establishing a citizens’ oversight committee to ensure funds are properly spent.

Measure N supporters say the bond would support schools as well as serve as an economic stimulus for the local economy while taking advantage of low interest rates and a competitive bid market for construction projects.

Opponents, however, argue that raising taxes is not a good idea in a struggling economy, where people are losing their jobs and homes.

San Juan voters have a history of supporting school bonds, passing two earlier measures in 1998 and 2002.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.

Check back here for updated election night results.

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For more election day coverage, be sure to click over to the Fair Oaks-Carmichael Election Guide 2012

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