LOCAL ELECTIONS / LOS ALAMITOS SCHOOL DISTRICT : Bond Measure for Repairs Is Winner by Nearly 3 to 1

A $13-million school bond measure to repair deteriorating schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District won handily Tuesday as voters approved the property tax increase by a nearly 3-1 margin.

“We feel really good about this,” said Donna Artukovic, a school board member and the campaign coordinator for Measure K. “Our message in the campaign was that our school buildings are old and we do not have enough money to repair them.”

Measure K will raise property taxes on residences within the Los Alamitos district by an average of $4.50 a month for the next 25 years, the amount of time needed to retire the bond debt.

The measure needed a two-thirds majority to win. County election officials said voter turnout was about 30%.

Had the bond measure failed to pass, Artukovic said, the $13 million in repairs would have had to come from the school district’s general fund.

“That would take away from the educational programs,” she said.

“We didn’t want to do that,” she said. “Everyone would have suffered. The schools, the kids and everyone in the community.”

Artukovic said the money will be used to repair and rehabilitate all seven schools in the district, which spans Los Alamitos, Seal Beach and a small part of Cypress.

Schools targeted for repairs are Hopkinson Elementary, McGaugh Elementary, Rossmoor Elementary, McAuliffe Middle, Los Alamitos High and Laurel Continuation High.

Artukovic said the schools range in age from 25 to 40 years.

She said the repairs will involve electrical systems, leaking roofs, asbestos removal, heating and air conditioning systems, plumbing and general rehabilitation. The school repairs are scheduled to be made over the next 15 to 20 years.

Artukovic said the Los Alamitos district is one of the best in the state, and many people move there specifically because of the educational program.

She said district officials want to preserve their schools’ reputation.

ELECTION RETURNS

Mesaure K* Precincts Reporting Votes % Yes 5,108 70.9 No 2,099 29.1 Turnout 29.8 %

*Needs two-thirds approval to pass.