ANTIOCH – Voters in the Antioch Unified School District will soon be asked to support a $195 million school bond measure to upgrade their aging schools.
Measure B on the March 5 primary ballot needs at least 55 percent of the vote to pass. If successful, it would authorize the district to issue bonds to finance 28 areas of improvement at schools across the district.
Under the proposed measure, each property owner would pay up to an additional $48 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. For the average property owner in the district, which also includes parts of western Oakley, that would amount to about $130 annually, according to consultant Jessica Polsky-Sanchez of EMC Research.
Potential projects include upgrades to classrooms, aging portables, lab and learning technology, heating and air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems, security systems, athletic fields, repairs to roofs and restrooms, flooring and asphalt and accessibility improvements for people with disabilities and more.
The bulk of the money — almost $149 million — would go to basic safety and security needs, such as upgrading lighting and fencing, replacing asphalt, leaky roofs, faulty electrical wiring, windows and heating and air conditioning systems.
Another $30 million would be spent to upgrade libraries, play and shade structures, running tracks, landscaping drains, electrical and technology infrastructures and school offices. Other projects on the bond measure list include modernizing current gyms, installing new portables, upgrading athletic fields and pool equipment, modernizing classrooms and installing new marquees and scoreboards, according to Dave Olson of Backstrom McCarley Berry & Co., the district’s financial consultant.
Bond measure money can only pay for construction, facility and equipment upgrades and cannot go toward teacher or administrator salaries.
A similar district-wide bond was considered in 2020 but trustees rejected that in favor of asking for a new school facilities improvement district, mostly centered in southeast Antioch. That $105 million measure ultimately failed at the March 2020 ballot box by a slim margin, losing by a margin of less than one percent.
District voters previously approved measures in 2008 and 2012, totaling $120 million in bonds to help modernize the city’s older schools, with the latter specifically for Antioch High.
But because more recent measures haven’t easily found enough support in Antioch, the district hired consultants to survey residents last fall. The results were mixed.
The survey showed 61 percent of likely voters in March would support the measure and some 56 percent of the residents surveyed believed there was a “great need.” However, about 50 percent of the 500 residents surveyed thought taxes in the area “were high enough” and would vote against any tax increase.
While the survey showed respondents value quality in local schools, fewer than 1 in 5 agreed that overall things are headed in the right direction in the Antioch district, according to EMC Research, the consultants who conducted the study.
Support for the general obligation bond measure was similar to that in 2020, Olson told the school board when the survey results were released last fall.
Already, district principals have begun writing letters to residents to explain how their individual schools might benefit from the bond money.
“Constant use and changing education needs require significant upgrades – way beyond our school budget,” Lone Tree Elementary School Principal Jonnie Silma wrote. “Although Lone Tree Elementary School is one of the newest schools, we need to upgrade our electrical, heating and ventilation systems.”
Antioch schools do not receive any funds from the state for facility improvements, Diablo Vista Elementary School Principal Bonny Bausola wrote.
“This forces our school district to rely on other sources, including local public support, such as bond measures,” she said.
“The well-being of our students is of paramount importance,” she added. “Student restrooms require updates to align with American Disabilities Act requirements.”
If the bond measure fails this spring, the district can try again in the November election, when voter turnout is higher, the consultants said.
Check back for updates.