District Reimbursed for Site Purchase

The Oxnard Union High School District has been reimbursed by the state for the $8.9 million it spent to purchase a 53-acre parcel at the northeast end of the city where the district plans to build a seventh high school campus.

Robert Brown, the district’s business manager, said the district received the money last week from the state Allocation Board, which disburses funds for school building projects.

The Oxnard district sold certificates of participation, which are similar to bonds, in 1991 to finance the purchase of the future school site near the southeast corner of Gonzales Road and Oxnard Boulevard. The money from the state will now be used to pay back the certificates.

Brown said district officials were relieved to receive the payment. He said there had been some concerns about whether the district would be fully reimbursed for the land purchase because of the state’s budget problems.

District officials said the next step will be to raise the money necessary to build the new high school, which is needed to reduce crowding at the district’s six campuses. The district is exploring a number of options, including placing a bond measure on the ballot in 1994.

In April, Oxnard voters rejected a $45-million school bond measure.