College Trustees OK Bond Measure

Ventura County college trustees have voted to place a $356-million bond measure on the March ballot, saying the money is desperately needed for classrooms and improvements at the area’s three colleges.

If the measure passes, property owners will pay an additional $18.50 for every $100,000 of assessed valuation.

“To meet the needs of our student population now and in the foreseeable future, we had to do something dramatic,” trustee Norm Nagel said. “We cannot depend on Sacramento to give us what we need.”

The vote on the bond measure, which was taken during a heavily attended special meeting Tuesday night, follows a decision last July by Gov. Gray Davis to cut about $3 million from the district’s annual budget.

If approved, bonds in $100-million increments would be sold and used for projects prioritized by trustees. The bonds would be sold over a decade, officials said.

“The chancellor feels that if this measure passes, it will be the most important thing the district has done since its inception 75 years ago,” said Patricia Kistler, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Community College District.

The only other bond measure ever proposed was more than 30 years ago, on behalf of Oxnard College. Kistler said voters approved it, but the amount was extremely small and has since been paid off.

“This is very important,” trustee Bob Gonzales said. “We can’t stay stuck where we are forever. We need more classrooms and need more areas of expertise for our growing student population.”

Enrollment at colleges in Ventura, Moorpark and Oxnard is expected to boom over the next decade, Kistler said, particularly in Oxnard, where the number of students could jump 85% by 2015. Current enrollment for all three colleges is about 34,000.

The campus that would receive the most funding under the proposed measure--about $117 million--would be 50-year-old Ventura College, which trustees agree is in dire need of new buildings for science and computer classes, student services and the arts, as well upgrades for leaky roofs and outdated wiring.

In addition, trustees need money to complete the final phases of a $27-million learning center for teachers at Ventura College. More than $750,000 for the project was cut by the governor.

At Oxnard College, nearly $111 million would be used to finish a new student services building, move the dental hygiene program from portable classrooms into a state-of-the-art lab, renovate the library and construct a performing arts auditorium.

More than $104 million slated for Moorpark College would go in part toward a new computer center, health science and math classrooms and satellite instructional centers for students in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and at area high schools.

New satellite campuses also are sought for Fillmore and Santa Paula, where the district currently rents classroom space. An unidentified donor has promised the district free property in the Santa Clara Valley as a site for a satellite campus, Kistler said.

The single largest portion of funds--about $24 million--is needed for a training academy for police and firefighting majors. Those students now study in portable buildings behind a county fire station in Camarillo, Kistler said.

The spokeswoman said trustees are optimistic that the bond measure will pass for two reasons. One is that students, staff, faculty and trustees already are using their spare time to solicit donations to advertise the benefits of the bond.

Second, a new state law says the measure needs only 55% voter approval. Before the passage of Proposition 39 last year, local school bond measures needed a two-thirds vote.

“That certainly gives us a little bit of a boost,” Kistler said.