The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District is asking voters to pass a multimillion-dollar bond this November.
Unfortunately, we cant build new things without a bond, said Citizens for Strong Schools member Sarah Kramer.
Voters in the PRJUSD will be asked to consider a $205 million bond this Election Day, costing property owners approximately $50 per $100,000 of property value per year.
Once the school districts start falling down, then the community falls down and, if you look around, Paso Robles has the least amount of bond funds per student amongst any of our surrounding school districts, which is amazing to me, Kramer said.
With aging campuses, the purpose of Measure G-26, a general obligation bond, is to fund career training, like updating and expanding Career Technical Education (CTE) facilities, classroom renovations to replace or update outdated classrooms, and critical infrastructure to repair or replace things like AC systems and leaky roofs.
Unlike Measure M, which passed in the 2016 election and focused on TK-8th grade schools, Measure G is primarily dedicated to the districts high schools.
Many people dont realize that our high school was built in 1980 and, at that time, it served 800 students, so it was built to serve 800, whereas today we serve over 2,000 students, said PRJUSD Superintendent Jennifer Loftus.
Right now, the Paso Robles High School football team plays its games at the 1920s-built War Memorial Stadium at Lewis Flamson Junior High School, where there is no ADA accessibility, so a portion of Measure G would upgrade that facility.
As for the two high schools in the district, there are a multitude of projects that need to be done.
What we have in our facility master plan is a four-year, or a four-phased design approach for the high school campus, Loftus said. In order to make room for some of the buildings that they need, they need to move some current buildings on the campus, some that are original to the site.
Phase one would redesign and move the tennis courts to free up space for 82 more parking spots. As it stands now, a school that was meant for 800 students does not have the capacity to allow all students who drive to school to secure a parking spot.
The extra space would also allow for an event center to be built, which would be the gymnasium. The schools current gym has no A/C and cant accommodate all students at once.
More than that, we also want to think about CTE programs and, even within that space, build intentional space for CTE programs, Loftus said. Not only would it be a space for athletics, not only would it be a space for our students to come together for a variety of community activities, but it would also then lend itself to those CTE classrooms that would be connected.
The bond fund cannot be used to pay administrator salaries or benefits, or daily operating expenses, and a mandatory oversight committee would inform the public of all spending.
Still, some election signs throughout the community show that not everyone is a fan of this measure, so even if passed, it may not be by a landslide.
One resident KSBY spoke with, who did not want to go on camera, said they have an issue with having to pay even more in property taxes. Another resident, also against the measure, said that if the district is asking for another bond, he feels that means the district is mismanaging its money.
Our plan would be wed be back in 2028 asking again, Loftus said about the measure if it fails to pass. The needs arent going to go away; they will just actually get greater.