61.0°,
Light Rain Oceanside proposes school bond
$30 million would fund security, technology upgrades
At its meeting on Nov. 19, the Oceanside Board of Education proposed a 15-year, $30 million bond referendum that, school officials say, would fund security and technology upgrades, energy conservation measures and infrastructure improvements. It would cost the average household in the community about $9.13 per month, or about $110 per year over the life of the bond.
The board will vote on the proposal at its Dec. 17 meeting, and, if it is approved, taxpayers would vote on it on Feb. 11, 2014.
The security upgrades, which are planned for every building in the district, include exterior and interior cameras, access controls, panic alarms, strobes and public address system interlocks. In addition, School #2 would upgrade its exterior lighting.
The technology improvements would include wireless access ports at the high school, to allow the district’s iPad initiative to move to that building in coming years, and upgrades at each of the elementary schools as well.
Some of the money would fund green energy measures, including the replacement of existing lighting with new T5 fluorescent and LED lighting. The new lighting would be introduced on a priority basis, officials say. In addition, occupancy sensors would shut lights off in spaces that are not occupied, and solar panels would be installed on district roofs.
The men’s and women’s restrooms outside the high school auditorium would be renovated to conserve water, and flushometers in other schools would be replaced.
High-pressure gas lines would be brought into all schools as an alternative fuel source for the existing dual-fuel burners, and high-efficiency boilers would be installed in School #6. In addition, parking lots and sidewalks throughout the district would be improved, and classroom floors and seating would be rehabilitated.
Officials say that the infrastructure renovations would cost $22.48 million, the conservation measures, $3.85 million, the security upgrades, $2.66 million, the technology upgrades, $1 million.
District facilities are in need of significant repairs and upgrades, officials said. Funding capital projects under the state tax cap is no longer an option, they added, and attempting to fund the upgrades through tax levy money would mean significant cuts to the educational program.
