SAN FRANCISCO - Voters in Alameda, Calif. will consider approving $179. 5 million of general obligation bonds to fund school improvements after the Alameda Unified School District board voted to place the measure on the November ballot.
The proposed bond is part of the district's 2014 Facilities Master Plan, which identified $585 million worth of facility repairs, upgrades, and improvements needed to modernize and make safe the district's schools.
The district serves around 9,400 students in Alameda, an island community in San Francisco Bay.
According to an implementation plan approved by the board on June 10, approximately half of the GO bonds would go toward improving elementary and middle schools, including replacing failing roofs, plumbing, and electrical systems, and improving seismic safety.
The funds would also be used to modernize classrooms and upgrade technology and safety systems at the schools.
The other half of the bond authorization would be retained for future issuance, while district's board and the community work to create a plan for its high schools, including a decision about whether Alameda should continue having two high schools or combine them into one.
If the bonds are approved, property owners would pay a maximum of $60 per $100,000 of assessed value for their property per year. The district said these bonds will not be capital appreciation bonds — instead, they will be issued as current interest bonds that will mature in more than 25 years.
The board voted 4-1 on June 24 to approve the bonds for the November ballot.
