LOS ALAMITOS : Voters to Be Asked to OK School Bonds

Property owners in the Los Alamitos Unified School District will be asked in a special election to approve a $13-million bond issue to finance school improvements.

If approved by voters on April 3, Measure K would require residential and commercial property owners in the cities of Los Alamitos and Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor to pay $4.50 more in taxes a month.

The bonds would finance such projects as painting, replacement of floors and roofs and other structural improvements of school buildings, said Ronald Murrey, director of business and support services for the district.

“Most of the schools in the district are about 30 years old,” he said. “Just as you would need to maintain a house, these buildings need to be maintained.”

Murrey said a decrease in state funding for schools prompted the bond measure.

“The state has been cutting back on these funds for the last few years,” he said. “There simply is not enough to take care of deferred maintenance and provide all of the educational programs we currently offer.”

Those who would be exempt from the increased tax are people 65 or older and the disabled who receive Social Security, according to Murrey. The school board also voted to exclude residents of Leisure World in Seal Beach from the tax.

“What we hope is that the community appreciates the educational system that the Los Alamitos school district provides,” Murrey said.

There are four elementary schools, one middle school and two high schools in the district.

The bonds would be paid off in the next 20 to 25 years, Murrey said.