Some of the money from the bond, which will be voted on in November, will be used to improve Vista del Monte Elementary School in Palm Springs.
This November, voters in the Palm Springs Unified School District approved Measure S, a $465 million bond package that will be used to improve specialized classrooms, update others, and modernize some of the district’s older facilities. You will be asked for approval.
“We have a standard here in Palm Springs of having great facilities,” Jeffrey Simmons, deputy superintendent of business services, said recently. “We will continue our activities with the cooperation of citizens.”
Simmons said the bond proceeds will be used to complete the modernization of Cathedral City High School, which was started with funds from a previous bond. It will also be used to modernize Bubbling Wells Elementary School and Vista Del Monte Elementary School.
“These are some of the major projects and will represent a significant portion of the funding,” Simmons said. “We have a running list of things that we can get approval from the state for that can be reimbursed at a 50% rate through state-issued bonds or grants; To make sure we get back as much as we paid.”That’s probably what we can do to keep this momentum going. ”
Additionally, he said bond proceeds will be used to improve vocational education, career technical education, and college preparatory classrooms and facilities. Expand science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) classrooms and laboratories. Replace aging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Before heading out for the bond, the district polled voters and received overwhelming support from the community.
“We did a study and it was very positive,” Simmons said. “As is usually the case in this sector, there was very positive feedback supporting this.”
Voters previously approved Measure E in 2008, which provided $516 million to the district. Voters subsequently approved Measure I, which reauthorized $216 million of the original bond.
“We sold the last series of bonds we had, but we still need improvements in certain areas and in certain schools that are 30 years old,” Simmons said. “So we decided to issue this bond with the promise that we would not increase taxes beyond the current rate, we would just extend it.”
As for property taxes, the district is asking voters to approve a levy of up to $40 for every $100,000 of assessed value on all residential, commercial and industrial properties. However, Simmons said property owners will not experience an increase in taxes.
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“The first step for me is to get the tax rate down to the right amount and collect the right amount of taxes, and the county maintains the reserve percentage that we’re looking for,” Simmons said. “We were in a situation where our reserves were getting a little high, so we wanted to negotiate that down.”
Simmons said that through the process of evaluating county and school district tax rates, the tax rate increased from approximately $145 to $106 per $100,000 of assessed value, and that the tax rate will not increase over the life of the bond. said.
“We intend to sell bonds and series up to an amount not to exceed that amount,” he said. “It’s actually going to be less than that (as the past bonds mature), but it’s not going to be more than that amount. That’s our commitment.”
Simmons said now is the right time to issue the bond because the district still has many capital projects that need funding and general elections tend to favor school bond elections due to high turnout. He said it was a great time.
“We try to balance tax rates and needs, and we’re very responsible in how we sell these series,” Simmons said. “We want them to trust us and we want to continue supporting our students, providing them with the best facilities and meeting their expectations.”
