ELK GROVE, Calif. — Ballots have gone out across Sacramento County and on that ballot, some eyes might catch a special local measure for the Elk Grove Unified School District.
While Measure N takes up a small portion of said ballot, it's actually a whopping $542 million bond measure. Elk Grove Unified's last measure was passed in 2016. It was a 10-year bond that did a lot of what Measure N wants to continue: facilities improvements and modernization.
The main issue is the old bond has run its course, but for the district, there's still more work to do.
“That (Measure N money) is running out. We just sold the last part of that bond to finish up that work but we are a large school district… we would like to build more because our population is growing,” said Lisa Levasseur, executive director of school support for EGUSD.
The bond measure, if passed, could mean an additional yearly fee of $34 per $100,000 of assessed value for property taxes.
What is the point of Measure N?
Measure N, in general, is a bond measure that, if passed, improves facilities and modernization in the district.
Levasseur said some buildings are decades old and need improvements to things like heating, air conditioning, electrical and even some pavement work around campus. It would also help bolster safety improvements.
Why a new bond?
There's already a lot of taxes people in the Elk Grove Unified School District pay on their property taxes, but they also pay state taxes as well, which do provide funding to the school. Levasseur said that money can't always go to projects.
Levasseur said the majority of the state funding goes toward personnel, custodians, aides and principals.
“When a majority of funding goes toward personnel, it leaves a small pot for the rest of it. A measure helps our schools stay updated and modernized,” she said.
With Measure N, she said none of the money goes toward administrative costs or salaries.
What projects are connected to the bond?
While no specific schools were mentioned, Levasseur said there are some projects that would be in the queue based on community input and needs assessments. That includes improvements to several high schools and middle schools that could get modernized science labs and career facilities.
Other improvements would include repairs to aging air conditioning, heating and electrical. Levasseur said some schools in the district were built decades ago. While some were modernized with the last bond from 2016, she said there's still more work to do.
“Things age, times change, so we just want to make sure we are continuing to have the most modern classrooms and facilities so that our kids are learning in the 21st century,” Levasseur said.
