School bond measure passes by a nose

By: CATHY REDFERN - Staff Writer - The Califiorian

Measure B will fund three Menifee district schools

MENIFEE -- A $31.46 million bond measure to fund construction of two elementary schools and a middle school in the Menifee area squeaked out a narrow victory in Tuesday's election, based on figures released Wednesday.

Measure B passed with 56.9 percent of the vote, exceeding the 55 percent needed for passage, the registrar of voters reported. An unknown number of provisional and mail-in ballots remained uncounted Wednesday, and the election results have not yet been certified.

Of the 12,470 votes tallied by Wednesday, 7,095 people voted for the measure and 5,375 voted against it. There are 29,165 registered voters in the district, according to the registrar's office.

With a nearly 2 percentage-point margin in favor of the measure, supporters Wednesday were calling it a victory.

A consultant with George K. Baum & Co., the company that promoted the school bond, assured supporters Wednesday that the outstanding ballots could not defeat the measure, said committee member and Menifee Union School District spokeswoman Betti Cadmus.

"It was so close," Cadmus said. "We're really, really excited. We have been optimistic since inception of the bond, because of feedback from the community, and now we know it was merited optimism. The community has been very willing to support the school district and here they have proven that support with their vote."

The state will match the bond funds, allowing the district to build a $38 million middle school north of McCall Boulevard in Sun City and two elementary schools. The elementary schools, while in the Menifee Union School District, would be built in the cities of Lake Elsinore and Murrieta.

Grading has begun on the middle school, and school officials have said it would be built anyway, but that the two future elementary schools would have been postponed indefinitely if Measure B had failed. The middle school is expected to open by July 2009, officials said.

The funds also could allow the district to go to a single-track, traditional school schedule, though a formal decision to change the schedule has not been made. The district now operates on a year-round calendar, with students on four "tracks," allowing the schools to serve more students.

School district officials have said they will survey parents to gauge their support for a nine-month school year before board members vote on the matter. District officials said Wednesday that will be done in a few months.

Bond committee members estimate the measure will cost property owners $17.90 per year per $100,000 in assessed valuation for 25 years. The estimate is based on an assumption that assessed valuations will grow by 4 percent annually.

The district will do everything it can to minimize costs to taxpayers, said Dan Wood, assistant superintendent of business services. It is possible they will sell half the bonds this year to pay for the middle school and hold off for 18 to 24 months before issuing bonds to pay for the elementary schools, he said.

"That would save taxpayers some money, if we find that we don't need all the money up front," he said. "We're very thankful to the voters ... and we want to be prudent with the proceeds."

The district serves 8,800 students in kindergarten through the eighth grade and has seven elementary and two middle schools. Two elementary schools are under construction and expected to open this summer.

Measure B trailed slightly after the first batch of votes was released by the registrar's office about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, but updated figures Wednesday morning showed it was ahead by 1.9 percent.

That total does not include provisional ballots and mail-in ballots dropped off at polling places or received in the registrar's office Tuesday, said Rebecca Martine, a chief deputy at the registrar of voters office.

People vote provisionally for various reasons, she said. Typically, they are registered to vote in Riverside County but have moved to another area without notifying the office, or they requested a vote-by-mail ballot but didn't get it. In a primary election such as Tuesday's, there are also voters who say their ballot lists the wrong political party, she said.

Martine said the election results would probably not be certified until near the end of the 28-day window the registrar has for doing that. She declined to say how many ballots remain uncounted, or whether enough remained to possibly defeat Measure B.

"The results will definitely change," she said late Wednesday afternoon. "We are still going through all the materials from the polling places."

The bond committee's chairman, Keith Velotta, said he was confident the bond had passed, and that the news was a shot in the arm for the supporters.

"I'm glad the voters had the foresight to vote for the future of schools and didn't let the economy affect it," said Velotta, a father of two who is president of the Parent Teachers Association at Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary School.

"The nice thing now is, they have a plan and this will allow them to go ahead and do it. It's a good thing."

-- Contact staff writer Cathy Redfern at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2621

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