Measure B support, campaign on target

Published online on Wednesday, Oct. 08, 2008

With a month to go before the election, a consultant hired to help get a $152 million school bond passed in Central Unified said the campaign is going well, despite the poor economy.

Trustee Cynthia Berube said after a school board meeting Tuesday that there has been some concern that the campaign has not been high profile enough, fueling worries that the bond measure will fail, as a similar one did in June.

The Central Unified School District has placed Measure B on the Nov. 4 ballot to finance new schools and refurbish older ones after Measure E failed by 16 votes, falling just short of the required 55% voter approval. The proposed 20-year bond would cost property owners in the district a maximum of $60 a year per $100,000 of assessed value.

During an update to the board Tuesday, San Francisco school finance consultant Dale Scott said fundraising and support were on target.

The board wanted a more aggressive campaign the second time around, hiring Dale Scott & Co. in July to conduct polling, come up with a campaign strategy and handle other Measure B issues. The district capped the cost for the consultant at $25,000 and said it would use developer fee money to pay for the work.

Scott has also been working under a separate contract with Yes On B for Better Schools, a citizens committee lobbying for the measure.

Board members and district employees are prohibited by law from getting involved in the campaign, but staff members have attended about 50 parent club meetings, school open houses and other district events to explain the bond measure.

Measure B would be used to finance a new high school, middle school and two elementary campuses, as well as improvements at existing schools. Central Unified, with 14,300 students, is centered in northwest Fresno, mostly west of Highway 99.