SCHOOL NEWS : $15-Million Bond Issue on June 7 Ballot

Hawthorne elementary school trustees have decided to put a $15-million bond issue on the June 7 primary election ballot.

The district had proposed a $50-million bond issue, but a survey of 400 residents showed it had little support. Voters were most likely to approve a bond that would raise their taxes by $25 a year, the survey found.

School officials say the $15-million bond issue, which must be approved by two-thirds of voters to pass, could add $20 a year to the average homeowner’s property taxes.

The money would be used to replace portable classrooms with permanent structures, improve or install alarms and update electrical wiring.

The portable classrooms were installed over the past 10 years to accommodate the district’s enrollment, which skyrocketed 36% during that span. The district, which has 7,300 students, is expected to have as many as 8,600 by the end of the decade.