School Bond Measures Add Up to Good Sense

It’s basic arithmetic:

* More kids = overcrowded classrooms.

* More kids + class-size reduction mandates = too few classrooms.

* The technology revolution stagnant budgets = schools with outdated wiring.

* Overdue social strides (such as full access for the handicapped or better gym facilities for girls) stagnant budgets = schools that can’t fairly serve all their students.

* Neglected maintenance + a decade or two = big problems now, bigger problems ahead.

The solution is simple--which is not the same as easy.

On Nov. 4, five Ventura County school districts will ask voters to raise their own taxes in order to back bond issues that will provide money to correct these problems in dozens of schools. With one hand on our wallet and a concerned eye on the long-term public debt load, we encourage citizens to vote yes.

There will never be a better or cheaper time to bring our schools up to date and add space for the coming “baby-boom echo” children.

In the past year, half a dozen other Ventura County districts have won multimillion-dollar bond victories. That is because voters recognize that the needs are real and the timing is right.

“It’s pay me now or pay me later,” says Howard Hamilton, associate superintendent of the Pleasant Valley Elementary District in Camarillo. “If you don’t take care of things up front, it’s much more costly down the road.”

That message has been a hard sell in Camarillo, where voters have said no four times since 1991--sometimes by the slimmest of margins. Pleasant Valley is trying a fifth time because its need to build new classrooms, improve libraries and renovate old facilities has not gone away. It wants $49 million to do the job.

Other districts seeking voter support are:

* Conejo Valley Unified School District, $97 million to build classrooms for class-size reduction and to upgrade wiring, plumbing, heating and add air-conditioning at several schools.

* Rio School District, $20 million to upgrade classrooms for earthquake safety and improve access to computer technology.

* Ojai Unified School District, $15 million to repair leaky roofs, replace wiring and plumbing and renovate libraries.

* Moorpark Unified School District, $16 million to build libraries, learning centers and science labs and to add classrooms needed for class-size reduction, music programs and physical education.

Each of these districts has released a detailed list of intended uses for the money. All will be spent on capital improvements, none on salaries or other operating expenses.

With the student population on the verge of a growth spurt, with class-size reduction clearly benefiting each kid even as it overwhelms the available number of rooms, and with first-rate schools at the top of the priority list for everyone from parents to corporate recruiters, a yes vote on each of these measures is a wise investment in the future.