High-school board OKs bond measure for November ballot High-school board OKs bond measure for November ballot (August 04, 2004)

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

The Sequoia Union High School District will be asking voters to approve a November ballot measure that could raise up to $70 million in construction funding, including $8 million for Menlo-Atherton High School, $6 million for Woodside High, and a large share for charter schools.

Property owners in the district now pay about $24 per $100,00 of assessed value on two earlier school bond measures. This rate is set to decline to $19.50 in the current fiscal year and would decline further in following years.

At its July 27 meeting, the Sequoia district's five-member Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution for a measure that would delay the tax rate's decline until 2014. Overall, property owners would pay about $167 more per $100,000 of assessed value over 35 years, Sequoia's financial adviser has said.

To pass, the measure requires approval of 55 percent of voters, instead of two-thirds for most bond measures. The lower threshold is a provision of state Proposition 39, which also requires districts to publish a project list, track spending, and share facilities with charter schools, if asked.

The proposed project list does address charter school needs. Sequoia would spend about $6 million on a new building for East Palo Alto High School on land leased from the Ravenswood City School District, superintendent Patrick Gemma has said.

And the board is considering a proposal by Mr. Gemma to build a school for Summit Preparatory High School, possibly on the Canada College campus in Woodside or in Redwood City, where Summit -- about to begin its second year of operation -- rents a building.

Mr. Gemma has expressed strong support for Summit's plans to allow students to attend community college after three years of high school while continuing a mentoring relationship with Summit.

Much of the bond money would be earmarked for Sequoia's four comprehensive high schools. Woodside's spending would include installing photo-voltaic solar cells; rebuilding science classrooms; improving school grounds; and upgrading building systems such as plumbing, wiring, alarms and video surveillance.

Menlo-Atherton High has a similar list, but would likely spend most of its share on a new performing arts center, district officials have said.

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