OXNARD, CAMARILLO : School Boards Seek Renovation Funds

The boards of the Rio and Pleasant Valley elementary school districts have decided to apply for a total of about $4 million of state bond money for renovating schools, officials said.

Each of the school boards voted at special meetings last week to apply for Proposition 152 funds. The statewide $1.9-billion bond measure was approved by voters in June.

The State Allocation Board, which is responsible for distributing the bond money for school projects, will consider the requests of the two elementary school districts at its next meeting Aug. 12.

Of the $1.9 billion, the Allocation Board is targeting $400 million for renovation projects, with the balance to go mainly toward new construction.

An Allocation Board official said Monday that the agency has already awarded $741 million of the Proposition 152 funds to various school districts, including $240 million for school renovations.

Rio and Pleasant Valley officials are scrambling to complete applications in time for the Allocation Board’s next meeting when the board will begin allocating the remaining bond money.

The Rio district in Oxnard plans to apply for about $2.6 million to replace the heating systems and roofs at four of the district’s five schools, said Gary Mortimer, director of facilities and classified services. The four schools are more than 30 years old, which meets the Allocation Board’s requirement for renovation funds, Mortimer said.

The Pleasant Valley district in Camarillo has five schools that would qualify for the renovation funds, Associate Supt. Howard Hamilton said.

Camarillo voters last year twice rejected proposed bond measures that would have generated money for building and repairing schools. The district plans to apply for $1.35 million in state funds needed to replace electrical systems and floor coverings at the five schools.