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Ocean View school board puts bond on ballot

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The Ocean View School District Board of Trustees has voted to place a bond measure on the November ballot that, if passed, would allow the district to upgrade its aging infrastructure and bring the schools up to current standards, school officials said.

The board voted 4 to 1 on July 17 to place the measure on the ballot, which will cost property owners in the school district no more than $27 per $100,000 on assessed property value, said district Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Mark Schiel.

Board President Tracy Pellman said in a prepared statement that the school district has done all it can to make fixes and upgrades, but budget cuts are leaving it with nothing to spare.

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“We have never had to ask our community for a facilities bond before,” she said in the statement. “As a caring community, it is up to us to protect and maintain quality school facilities. This local bond for local needs will do that.”

The district has 15 school sites, plus two preschool sites, most of which were built in the 1960s, Schiel said.

Many of them don’t meet current standards like the Americans with Disabilities Act. The upgrades will also replace leaky roofs, heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electricity, according to a district release.

The upgrades will also modernize the classrooms to meet the standards and needs of modern education, Schiel said.

If the measure passes, it will allow the district to issue up to $198 million in bonds to upgrade the facilities, Schiel said. Based on the schools’ need for upgrades, the district will also be eligible for $22 million in state matching funds, he said.

The district last year created a Facilities Planning Advisory Committee, made of community members, parents and school officials, which examined the schools’ needs and recommended issuing the bond.

mona.shadia@latimes.com

Twitter: @MonaShadia

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