CCUSD
– The forum June 11 to take public comment on Cave Creek
Unified School District’s $123,369,327 bond proposal evoked
strong support for moving high‑voltage power lines
adjacent to Sonoran Trails Middle School.
The
forum, which presented details of proposed bond expenditures,
also drew criticism for the governing board’s recent decision
to build a new comprehensive high school.
Both
the district’s Long Range Facilities Planning Committee,
a resident’s advisory board that met regularly for one
year, and district administration are recommending the
board approve a single, multi‑faceted bond, referred
to as “bundled.” The bond would include $45 million to
build a new school for all high school students and another
$2 million to move the power lines near Sonoran Trails,
as well as other items.
However,
proponents of moving the high‑voltage lines, calling
themselves the Students First... Safety Always committee,
were not taking any chances preceding a board vote and
several attended the forum to offer support for “bundling”
the bond. The long‑range planning committee did
not unanimously recommend the bundling and there exists
some opposition in favor of “unbundling” the bond. The
board was set to vote on the issue Tuesday night after
press time.
“It’s
conceivable that if everyone doesn’t scratch each other’s
back, a lot of this bond will wind up getting voted down,”
Scott Davis, a member of Students First...Safety Always,
told The Desert Advocate in an earlier interview.
Davis
commented that, if everyone works together, the district
can assemble a “pretty sizeable” voting block.
Another
member of the group, David Toomey, related that he joined
the planning committee after the board voted down a proposal
last year to use existing district funds to pay for moving
the power lines. The committee recommends putting a request
before voters to raise $2 million to move the lines, seen
by many parents as a safety hazard because of electromagnetic
fields generated by high voltage.
“The
goal is to get everyone in the community united around
the bond,” Toomey said.
At
the forum, District Associate Superintendent Dr. Kent
Frison said in 1999, CCUSD separated its requests into
two bond proposals. One passed by 50.1 percent and the
other failed. Other area districts have had success splitting
bonds but CCUSD did not, he commented.
The
district is expected to propose another override election
in November at the same time the bond would be presented
to voters. The board was also expected to vote Tuesday
evening on whether to propose a capital override for $32,673,072.
If
approved, 71 percent or $23.2 million of the override
would pay for technology upgrades such as new computers,
according to Frison. Another 10 percent, or $3.3 million,
would pay for new textbooks, while 19 percent or about
$6 million would cover the cost of new furniture, fixtures
and equipment.
The
largest portion of a separate building improvement bond,
59 percent or $72.6 million, would pay for building improvements,
Frison told residents.
Two
percent, or $2 million, would be set aside for moving
the power lines. Another 36 percent or $45 million would
pay for the cost of constructing a new high school. Three
percent, or $3.7 million, would pay for additional public
transportation.
Some
district residents criticized the bond proposal.
“To
me, it is like the equivalent of fashion–they’re tired
of the old high school. It always has to
be the newest and biggest and most expensive,” said Brenda
McAlister.
“One
thing bothers me about the new high school: the issue
of community,” said David McAlister. “The problem for
the future is sprawl and lack of community. Cave Creek
is not a community; it’s a bedroom where people don’t
know each other.
“It
would be best to have the high school in the center of
the community where it can be
enjoyed. Students don’t live in a high school–they live
in a community.”
“The
detail of information in the bond means every student
on every campus stands to benefit,” said board president
Javier Ledesma. “We have the opportunity to build a world
class, second‑to‑none,
high school.”
Frison
pointed out that the bond being discussed would not raise
property taxes. However, if voters
do not approve the bond, property taxes would go down.
The
life of the override is seven years and the bond would
be amortized over a 20‑year‑period, Frison
said.
