Very Low Turnout Seen for School Bond Voting

By REGINA HONG

March 2, 1997 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Voters in Oxnard, Fillmore and Port Hueneme will go to the polls Tuesday to decide if they want to pay more taxes to buy local schoolchildren everything from chalkboards to new campuses.

County Elections Chief Bruce Bradley anticipates a very low voter turnout in the special election.

“I think anything over 20% will be a good turnout,” Bradley said. “Unless you are very concerned about the school bond, you tend not to come out and vote.”

Nine percent of the registered voters have been mailed absentee ballots. That group could easily make up half of this election’s voters, Bradley said.

While he would not speculate on what a low turnout might mean to the outcome of the election, Bradley said that bond consultants typically want low numbers on the theory that those who support the measure will be likely to show up at the polls and those who do not adamantly oppose it might be more likely to stay home.

The measures, which must be approved by two-thirds of the voters to pass, are seeking:

* $57 million for the Oxnard Elementary School District to build two new elementary schools, improve school technology, modernize campuses and purchase portable classrooms.

* $12 million for Fillmore Unified School District to finish constructing its middle school and improve its science programs and technology at all six schools.

* $4.7 million for the Hueneme Elementary School District to renovate its 320 classrooms.

While educators and bond experts are convinced that the national economic upturn bodes well for the election, they warn that school bond measures are never a sure thing.

“I’m absolutely certain that . . . they will receive a majority vote, but the real problem is the super criterion they have to meet,” said County Supt. of Schools Charles Weis.

“They have to meet that 67%, so it’s always hard to tell [whether a school bond measure wins] until you count the ballot, because everybody who doesn’t want it to pass gets two votes and everybody who wants it to pass gets one.”

Before Oxnard Union High School District’s $57-million bond victory in November, voters rejected a $45-million bond measure for a new Oxnard high school in 1992. Pleasant Valley School District in Camarillo has failed to pass bond measures four times this decade.

School officials say it is premature to tell whether the success of Oxnard’s high school district signifies that voters in general are more willing to approve school bonds, but they say one thing is certain: They must go for a bond now.

“In our situation, it’s because we absolutely must,” said Fillmore Supt. Mario Contini. “We have no choice, no space, no money to buy additional classrooms. We’re just out cold.”

If their $12-million bond measure is approved, officials at the 3,408-student district plan to use most of the money to finish off their middle school, which they started building 10 years ago.

With some classrooms at the middle school not yet completed, students must walk about a quarter of a mile to take certain classes at Fillmore Junior High School. District officials estimate students lose about 11 days of schooling a year, walking between the two campuses.

If the bond doesn’t pass, district officials say they may have to consider multitrack schedules, such as those used in the Oxnard Elementary School District. The schedule divides students into groups and gives the groups staggered vacations.

At the elementary school district, with a student body of 13,398 students, the needs are larger in scope. The last of the money from a 1988 bond measure is being used to finish building Brekke Elementary School. When the campus near Gonzalez Road and Rose Avenue opens in August, district officials expect that its 1,100 spots will immediately be filled.

The student population has been growing at about 2% to 3% each year, and with the rush to reduce many classes to 20 or fewer students, the crowded district is looking to build two new elementary schools with its $57-million bond measure.

“We’re already multitrack year-round, and I think most of the community recognizes that this district has done everything we possibly could to maximize its facilities and dollars,” said Supt. Bernard Korenstein.

Whether the district is able to further reduce class sizes depends on building more schools, district officials said.

With 8,072 students, the Hueneme School District is the smallest of the three districts.

Officials want to use the $4.7-million bond measure to renovate each of the 320 classrooms with everything from new earthquake-shatterproof windows to new floor tiles. Most of their buildings were constructed during the 1950s.

The last time the district sought a bond by election was in 1957. The measure was approved.

“This school district has no debt, but it also has no money,” said Mary DePaolo, co-chairwoman of the district’s campaign committee. “It’s time for us to go into debt to refurbish classes for the next three or four generations.”

Analysts think the measures may fare better now than in the earlier half of the decade.

“I think more people are inclined to vote for these school bonds in recent years because property values have stabilized and the general economy is improving,” said Mike Saliba, president of Ventura County Taxpayers Inc. “But you always have to take a look at each individual school district as to what they’re planning to do and whether they will prove a demonstrated need.”

Bond backers say they have made extra efforts to encourage people to vote yes and mail in their absentee ballots.

Hueneme School District’s campaign committee members say they have learned lessons from the past. A bond in Hueneme that would have raised taxes to provide money for more police services failed by only 56 votes two years ago. Volunteers will call residents up until the polls close, urging them to vote.

“We are really aware that 15 to 100 votes are going to make a real difference,” DePaolo said. “We are going to work it all the way until the end. . . . We’re putting our hearts and souls into this.”

Fillmore’s committee will provide rides for those who may not have transportation to the polls. And the Oxnard Elementary School District’s committee members are busy sending out last-minute fliers to give voters more information about the bond.

The school bond elections won’t end after Tuesday.

In June, Ventura Unified plans to seek a $81-million bond measure, while the Ocean View Elementary School District will ask for $4 million. Ojai Unified is also considering whether to pursue a bond measure in November.

FYI

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. To find out your polling place, call the Registrar of Voters at 654-2781.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Bond Measures at a Glance

Three Ventura County school districts have bond measures on Tuesday’s ballot. Following is a list of school needs and their projected costs:

OXNARD SCHOOL DISTRICT (K-8)

Measure: J

Bond amount: $57 million

Cost to taxpayer per year: $30 per $100,000 in assessed property value*

Needs: Projected cost

Build two elementary schools : $28 million

Modernize campuses and improve school technology : $15 million-$20 million