The latest vote count shows that Measure Z, a $49.5 million bond to pay for repairs, renovations and new buildings on the Portola Valley School District's two campuses, has passed, even though the county has yet to conclude its count. As of Nov. 25, the ballot measure had 62.2 percent of voter approval; it needed only 55 percent of the vote for approval.
The measure had 2,534 votes of support and 1,540 votes in opposition (37.8 percent) as of Nov. 25.
As of Saturday, Nov. 24, there were 9,969 unprocessed ballots in the county, according to the California Secretary of State's Office.
The county Elections Office still has to count a portion of ballots received in the mail or returned at vote centers or drop boxes, and some provisional ballots.
The bond will add a maximum of $300 per $1 million of assessed valuation to property tax bills, or $900 a year for the owner of a house valued at $3 million.
Bond revenue will go toward projects listed in a plan approved by the school board. The plan prioritizes projects into three areas: immediate, to be built if funding is available, and long-term.
The facilities plan shows immediate projects at Corte Madera School, including a new two-story classroom building, costing between $38.4 and $42.5 million. At Ormondale School, projects costing $10.9 to $12 million are included as immediate first-phase priorities.
A majority of the bond money will go to new construction, but only because some of the existing buildings are in such bad shape that it is less expensive to replace than repair them, school district Superintendent Eric Hartwig said. The district, which has recently had slight drops in enrollment, would not end up with more classrooms than it now has under the plan, he said.
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Comments
Portola Valley: Central Portola Valley
on Nov 27, 2018 at 12:42 am
on Nov 27, 2018 at 12:42 am
Why is a single building for a middle school going to cost the entire budget of this bond measure?
This is such waste and excess. Think of what could be done with that money, were a simplified and still safe and effective rebuild substituted for this grossly offensive and overdone design. Not 10 miles away is a school district where they cannot afford school supplies or backpacks. I’m ashamed of this embarrassing situation. This is not the Portola Valley I grew up in.
Portola Valley: other
on Nov 27, 2018 at 1:24 pm
on Nov 27, 2018 at 1:24 pm
Embarrassed to be linked to this town that fails to acknowledge there is a world of pain outside its bubble of perfection. Wholly resent that with limited resources, we are forced now to 'give' to a school district that has no checks or balances (to date) on what it spends and its pervasive, fallible vision. Living in one of the most beautiful scenic areas, PVSD wants to block kids in with concrete, glass, high tech buildings and equipment. This obscene amount of money could do so much good elsewhere, improve education standards state wide, give to others less fortunate, instead it's continuing the fallacy that everything in this world has a price tag attached to it. Pity the parents that were conned again by the District and the Board, and hope the kids survive your grand intentions/beliefs with their sanity intact.