Defeated School Bond Measure Will Rise Again

17,746 yes (64.2%)

9,909 no (35.8%)

Those of us who monitored the fate of Measure Q into the wee hours on election night knew that our school bond had fallen short of earning yes votes from two-thirds of our district’s voters. My third-grader, Eric, took the news hard the next morning.

“Does that mean Weathersfield won’t get air-conditioning, mom?”

That’s right, Eric. Not air-conditioning; not permanent facilities for class-size reduction; not schoolwide wiring to help us bring computers and the Internet and the World Wide Web of learning into every Weathersfield classroom. Not this time, anyway.

As my co-chair, Pat Phelps, and I would hear later that day, many of our fellow parents met the news with surprise. Some had seen the vote tally and cheered, thinking that our $97-million school bond had passed handily. Others, though few would admit it, were so confident that Measure Q would be a “slam dunk” they didn’t bother to vote. We cringed upon hearing that soccer practice or piano lessons had short-circuited trips to the polls. It was parents on whom Measure Q had counted most.

Despite the exhaustive efforts of hundreds of volunteers and school personnel to educate voters about our schools’ needs, Measure Q failed Nov. 4. Tripping 3% short of the monumental two-thirds majority required to make school site improvements a reality in the Conejo Valley Unified School District, our bond initiative--our “Vote for Quality Schools”--did not quite measure up.

California is one of only four states requiring a super-majority of voters to pass bonds. Perhaps we took for granted that our yes votes could scale that daunting peak. And even if we blame the vicious City Council recall election for antagonizing voters who might have been in favor of Measure Q, the fact is there just weren’t enough votes out there to validate the critical and long-overdue needs of the Conejo’s 27 schools.

So, for those of us who realize just how close Measure Q came to passing, we intend to work even more vigorously in the coming months to help our schools pass a bond and get the improvements they deserve.

Certainly, we know that the state has no safety net of emergency cash to lessen the fall of districts whose bonds fail to pass. And the meager state monies that come to our district each year for deferred maintenance continue to diminish. Repairing and modernizing our deteriorating schools is our responsibility alone. And the $24.96 annual tax assessment that the average Conejo Valley household would shoulder should be a proud and manageable burden to bear, considering the improvements it would make possible.

We invite potential voters to do the math: The average monthly sacrifice of $2 is about equal to a large bag of potato chips or a large order of fries. We believe it is a small price to pay for the revitalization of our precious K-12 schools and crucial to maintaining the real estate values our community enjoys.

In analyzing Measure Q’s defeat, we ask the voters of Conejo Unified School District to look hard at their priorities within a community that basks in the pride of its excellent and high-achieving public schools. Shame on us all for not coming together on the one issue on which so much is riding--the future of our children and the quality of schools in which they are being educated.

We are determined that a Conejo Valley school bond will rise again in the spring--with the same dedicated volunteers, the same significant, compelling needs, and the same 17,746 advocates championing its victory. I hope you will be among them! Our children deserve no less.