School Bond OK Is Held Up by 18 Votes

Hawthorne School District officials have a dream of schools where clocks tick, drinking fountains run cold water and the electrical system can power up-to-date technology in the classrooms. But 18 votes stand in the way.

As of Tuesday, the $15-million bond question presented in the June 8 election was still shy 18 ballots of the necessary two-thirds’ approval. Of the votes counted, 2,476 were in favor of passage and 1,265 were opposed.

County officials said all absentee ballots were expected to be counted by Friday; results of the vote, however, are not official until June 28. Should it pass, property owners would be taxed an average of $20 a year for the next 25 years to pay for the bonds.

“Of course we are somewhat disappointed,” Assistant Supt. Donald Carrington said, “but they still haven’t completed counting all the absentee ballots, so we’re still hoping for the best.”

School officials said Tuesday that if the bond question loses, they will probably ask for a recount of the ballots.

If the bond measure passes, it would provide $15 million for the renovation and modernization of the elementary district’s nine schools. Carrington said the buildings, all between 40 and 50 years old, have not had a major renovation since they were built.

In many of the schools, clocks don’t work, drinking fountains do not cool the water and computers and video equipment overpower the electrical system. In addition to new electrical and plumbing systems, the bond issue would pay for flooring, roofing and new classroom space for the rapidly growing school district.

School officials had hoped to add a two-story building to one of the schools, Carrington said, but that project was feasible only if Hawthorne received state matching funds. The failure of a separate state bond means matching funds will be difficult to get.

“Now we’re just one other (school district) standing in a long line of people asking for money,” Carrington said.

If the local bond does not pass, Carrington said, school officials will consider seeking the money from private businesses or grants. Whatever happens, the district’s buildings must be overhauled and more space found for Hawthorne’s 7,200 students, he said.

Enrollment has grown by 2,000 students in the past eight years. The district began year-round operation in 1992 to accommodate the extra students.

“I don’t think the (state of disrepair) negatively impacts the education children are receiving,” Carrington said. “But in terms of the aesthetics, there are real obvious needs and shortcomings.

“How does a student feel sitting in a classroom if the clock doesn’t work?” he asked.