Oxnard Bond Issue a Lesson for Ventura

Encouraged by the recent passage of an Oxnard school bond measure, Ventura Unified School District administrators said Wednesday they are exploring the prospect of placing their own construction bond measure on the ballot, possibly as early as next summer.

Ventura officials recently spoke with representatives of the same consulting firm that helped the Oxnard Union High School District win voter support for a $57-million bond measure, the largest approved by voters in the state during last week’s election. The money will be used to build a seventh high school.

Passage of that measure “tells us if we do a good job of notifying the community and let them know what our situation is and the problems we have, the community will come back and support us,” Ventura Supt. Joseph Spirito said.

Revenue from a Ventura bond measure might be used to finance construction of several new schools, which are needed to reduce classroom overcrowding, Spirito said.

The district’s long-range planning committee, which is expected to turn in a list of recommendations to trustees in December, is studying the possibility of building several elementary schools, a middle school and a magnet high school during the next decade.

Spurred by the success of the Oxnard district, Ventura school officials plan to meet with financial advisors of the San Francisco-based firm Dale Scott & Co. later this month, officials said.

Before the district decides whether to move forward with a bond measure, Spirito stressed that administrators will do an in-depth examination to determine whether other options exist, including the sale of school properties.

“I don’t want to get too far out ahead,” he said. “I want [the public] to know that before I ask them for participation, I’ve got to make sure we will look at every possible avenue in the district.”

Although the deadline to place a bond issue on the March ballot has passed, there is still time to prepare one for June, said Dale Scott, owner of the financial advisory firm.

Seven of the nine school districts that his firm worked with in November passed their bond measures, Scott said.

The company is currently working with the Oxnard Elementary School District on a $57-million bond measure for the March ballot.

The money would be used to pay for new school construction and other building improvements.

Although the Oxnard high school district was successful with its measure last week, officials acknowledge it was tough winning public support.

“It’s hard work,” said William Studt, superintendent of the high school district. “It takes a lot of volunteers in order to accomplish something like this.”

Working out of offices in Oxnard and Camarillo, volunteers made more than 65,000 calls to local residents to explain the benefits of Measure Y.

Meanwhile, Ojai Unified School District administrators are planning to talk with representatives of a consulting firm at their Nov. 21 meeting about plans for a bond measure to help fund school renovations.

Although the idea of placing a bond measure has been talked about for more than a year, Ojai Supt. Gwen Gross said Oxnard’s measure has renewed their hopes.

“We were so pleased to see the great success of Oxnard,” Gross said. “It indicates a great deal of community commitment in Ventura County to the needs of our schools.”