DELANO, Calif. (KERO) — Bond measure J will provide locally controlled funding for school facility improvements within the Delano Union Elementary School District. 76% of voters were in favor and 23% were not.
- Bond Measure J would cost homeowners approximately $25 per $100,000 of a property’s assessed value, but according to the district, it's projected that the measure will not increase the current tax rate.
- Most of DUESD Schools were build over 70 years ago.
So far, the $41 million will go toward a new cafeteria for Del Vista Academy and a new band room for Almond Tree middle school.
Some if not all schools in the Delano Union Elementary School District are more than 70 years old. It’s because of this that the Measure J campaign committee worked hard to pass the Measure and was approved by a landslide.
Two classes for lunchtime at Del Vista Math and Science Academy take up two tables, not leaving much space for other students, Principal Markos Lara says this has forced the school to break up the lunch schedules.
“Standards for other schools tends to be within an hour but usually here we’re kind of stretching it to almost two hours, two hour and fifteen around there,” said Lara.
However, thanks to the passing of bond Measure J, with an approval of 76% of voters, this issue will be a thing of the past.
“The district will be able to issue bonds valued at $41 million to enhance our school facilities to enable us to upgrade some of our security measures at all of our school sites,” said assistant superintendent of business services for DUESD Sandra Rivera.
Rivera says this would cost homeowners approximately $25 per $100,000 of a property’s assessed value, and the district says it’s projected that the measure will not increase the current tax rate.
However, the renovation of the cafeteria doesn’t just benefit students, but their parents as well.
“Because we have a lot of kids, if we had more space the kids would be better satisfied and could eat with ease and for the parents we would also be more comfortable attending assemblies,” said parent Maria Ortiz. “When we come to the cafeteria, it’s like one or two parents attending so if it was bigger more people could come.”
Lara says this has been an issue since the opening of the school and often sends mixed messages to parents.
“We’re limited on how many people you can bring really what it wants, it kind of goes against the message where we want parent involvement but yet we’re telling them only so many people can come or we want family involvement but only one family member can come,” said Lara.
The bonds will be given to the district in phases as the previous bonds are paid down.
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