Two Fresno-area school bonds narrowly failed last spring. Are they worth supporting now?

School-bond proposals return to the November ballot in Clovis and Central unified school districts, and voters would be wise to support them. It is not overstating it to say that if the bonds are not passed, schools will become dilapidated, classes will be crowded and much-needed new campuses now being planned won’t get built. That, in turn, will harm the quality of life not just for the families using the schools, but whole neighborhoods and the community at large.

In Clovis, voters will consider Measure A, while voters living on the west side of Fresno in the Central district will take up Measure D. Both measures need 55 percent of voters for approval.

As Eimear O’Farrell, superintendent of Clovis Unified, succinctly says: “There will be a post-COVID, and we have to be ready.” Indeed, once the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control, students will return to their neighborhood campuses. Imagining future needs and preparing now to meet those demands through bond funding is good planning.

Clovis Unified’s bond

Measure A is a $335 million bond issue that would keep tax rates where they are for residential property owners. That works out to $155 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. So, if a voter’s home is assessed at $100,000, the bond cost would be $155 per year.

That is the same tax rate as is being paid now for earlier bond issues. That was critical to Clovis Unified officials, who saw a bigger bond proposal ($408 million) go down to defeat in the spring primary.

The key project is the Terry Bradley Education Center, consisting of a new middle school and new high school on the southern end of the district. Those schools would accommodate students out of the Clovis East area to relieve overcrowding there.

In addition, new wings of classrooms would be added at Clovis West High and other campuses where portables have been used for years.

Districtwide, one-touch lockdown systems would improve security, and air-conditioning systems would be upgraded.

“This is one of the few taxes people can pay that Sacramento does not get its hands on,” said O’Farrell. A local oversight board would make sure the bond money is being used as promised.

Central Unified’s bond

Central Unified saw its bond proposal last spring fail by less than 20 votes.

Measure D is worth $120 million, with the proceeds to finish a new high school that features a performing arts center; create a new aquatics center; construct a badly needed elementary campus; and update technology at many schools.

The cost to taxpayers will be $60 per $100,000 valuation.

The elementary school will have 800 students when it opens, said Superintendent Andrew Alvarado. Currently children living in the Shields-Brawley area are bused out of their neighborhoods to other campuses.

Central Unified covers 88 square miles west of Highway 99 and serves nearly 16,000 children in new neighborhoods that have popped up on the fringes of Fresno and out toward Biola.

Why again

Both districts have returned to the November ballot because bond measures can only be considered whenever there is a countywide election, and the next time that happens is 2022.

The Bee advocated for bond approvals in the spring. What the editorial board said then is still true. Paying higher taxes is no one’s idea of fun. But denying schools funding for facility needs is not a smart idea. If local students are to be competitive for college or the job market, they need the best learning experiences they can have, including schools able to accommodate advanced technology and which are comfortable.

Voters in Clovis and Central districts need to do the right thing and support the bond proposals on the November ballot.

Bond measures also await voters in the Sanger, Riverdale and Washington unified districts.

How The Bee came to this recommendation

The Bee’s Editorial Board consists of Publisher Tim Ritchey, Editor Joe Kieta, Opinion Editor Tad Weber, Vida en el Valle Editor Juan Esparza Loera, and Vida Staff Writer Maria Ortiz-Briones. The board conducted interviews with district officials in the spring for bond measures on that ballot. Weber did follow-up interviews recently via Zoom for the November measures. Additional research was also done using publicly accessible online sources and The Bee’s archives.

The recommendation is just that: a helpful opinion meant to guide readers. It is the view of the Editorial Board; the news staff does not play any role in its creation.

This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM.