Wednesday, November 5, 2008

John Swett school district bond measure passes

A bond measure that will help the John Swett school district in renovating John Swett High School passed with 73 percent approval Tuesday.

Yes votes totaled 3,308 while 1,197 voters opposed the measure. That figure represented 26.5 percent. Measure A is a $20 million bond measure that helps the John Swett Unified School District pay for upgrades to John Swett High in Crockett and needed a 55 percent approval rating to pass.

The money would be used to build a new sports complex with an artificial turf playing field, media center, expanded classrooms and more. Other upgrades include creating better accessibility and replacing John Swett's 80-year-old heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.

District leaders already have secured about $18 million in state repair grants and from the sale of the former Hillcrest Elementary School. The $20 million in bond money would go much further toward updating the campus and restoring the school, district officials said.

Property owners would pay about $42 per $100,000 of assessed valuation annually for 25 years. The measure also would create a citizens oversight committee to oversee progress.

The district last attempted to put a parcel tax measure before voters in 2006; it failed by a slim margin.



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