School district leaders throughout San Diego County are waiting to see whether voters have approved their bond measures. As of Monday morning, “yes” votes are leading in most districts, including Mountain Empire Unified.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Patrick Keeley, superintendent of Mountain Empire Unified. “We're excited about the possibilities for our school district, for sure.”
District leaders said Measure L would allow Mountain Empire to renovate its high school and upgrade utility systems throughout the district. Multiple schools in the district have failing water systems, and the high school has earthquake safety issues.
“The primary challenge that the high school has is, parts of the foundation are crumbling,” Keeley said. “We have exposed rebar coming out of the bottom of the foundation at this point.”
Most of the high school’s outside walls are made of plywood.
“If you took off that siding to repair, the structural integrity of the entire building is no longer viable,” he said.
Reform California, which opposed other school bond measures in the county, said Measure L “addresses genuine health and safety hazards in a small rural school district” and “can help this underserved rural community qualify for state matching funds.”
Keeley said, beyond addressing safety concerns, upgrading the high school would mean a lot for the community. When students graduate and go to college, they’re in class with students from very different learning environments.
“Kids that have come from facilities that are failing may not feel that it’s their place to be in that university,” Keeley said.
San Diego Unified’s bond measure is also passing.
“The passing of Measure M is a powerful expression of trust in our district and the future of our public schools,” San Diego Unified Superintendent Fabi Bagula wrote in a statement. “To every San Diegan who chose to invest in our neighborhood schools, thank you.”
“Yes” votes are also leading in the La Mesa-Spring Valley and Vista Unified School Districts.
More than half of votes counted so far are in favor of bond measures in the Fallbrook Union Elementary and Santee School Districts, though below the 55% needed to pass.
Santee School District leaders put the bond on the ballot to repair aging roofs, plumbing and HVAC systems. The district has $72 million in repair needs, Santee Superintendent Kristin Baranski said. The bond measure would generate $30 million.
Bonds and state matching funds are some of the only ways school districts can get enough funding for school construction. Baranski said about 84% of the Santee district’s budget pays for salaries and benefits.
“The other 16% is to keep the lights on, have water, good instructional materials,” she said. “There's not all this extra money out there to save up for $72 million.”
“No” votes are leading in the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District and Julian Union High School District.
The San Diego County Registrar has until Dec. 3 to certify the election results.
