LAKEPORT, Calif. – If voters in the Lakeport Unified School District could weigh in on the school construction projects they felt are most important – and should therefore be funded by a bond – what would they choose?
Finding out the answer to that question will be the work of consultant Greg Isom, who the district's board voted unanimously to hire at its Thursday night meeting.
Isom, of Walnut Creek-based Isom Advisors, has previously worked with the district, guiding it last year through the process of refinancing outstanding general obligation bonds from a $7.5 million measure voters approved in 2001.
The refinancing is saving the district's property owners an estimated $52,000 over a three-year period, as Lake County News has reported.
Isom said his firm is working with 15 school districts with proposed tax measures.
In his Tuesday night presentation, Isom went over economic and demographic information for the district, explaining that the tax base has gone down by 1 percent over the past year, and has showed four years of decline. However, he said the local reduction hasn't been like the negative tax base growth seen in the Central Valley.
Lakeport Unified's gross bonding capacity is $28.3 million, Isom said. After subtracting the $4.1 million outstanding from the 2001 bond, that means the district's current debt limit is $24.2 million.
He said the district has approximately 6,171 registered voters, of which 38 percent are Democrats, 34 percent are Republicans and 28 percent are “other.” Of those voters, 54 percent are vote-by-mail, or absentee.
The state's June primary saw 43 bond measures statewide, of which 33 percent were successful, Isom said.
“Voters are still supporting their schools,” he noted.
To be successful, Lakeport Unified needs to look at what people will support and when. To get that information, Isom said his firm will conduct a phone survey.
If that survey were to come back negative, he said there would be no point in putting a bond measure on the ballot.
In order to be ready for the survey, Isom said the district needs to prepare a list of proposed projects.
Superintendent Erin Smith-Hagberg offered a brief list of some of the district's facility needs, including replacement of portable classrooms that date from 1968, resurfacing the tennis courts, upgrading the weight room, improving classroom technology and moving the district's alternative schools.
Another project is bringing the Westshore Pool, built in 1973, up to state-required specifications.
Smith-Hagberg had told a group of city, county and Channel Cats swim team stakeholders during a meeting Thursday morning that the district did not have any funds earmarked for the pool's repairs in its 2014-15 fiscal year budget, and that the only way to afford the repairs was for the district to pursue a bond.
In the phone surveys, Isom said it will be important to get the overall voter feeling toward the district, ask if they agree with the projects on the list and what tax rate they would find acceptable.
“I have no idea about how your community is going to respond to anything in the survey,” Isom said.
Board Chair Phil Kirby asked how the survey would be developed and distributed.
Isom said all of the school bond surveys have similar language. He said he would craft a specific survey for Lakeport Unified and then hand it back to the administration for approval.
All of the surveys are conducted by phone. Isom said the goal is for the calls to accurately reflect the district's demographics.
Smith-Hagberg asked Isom about the process timeline.
Isom said they would have to have the survey done well ahead of Aug. 8, which is the last date the district could file for a bond measure with the county elections office.
If the district didn't make that deadline, Isom said the next earliest date it could put a measure before voters would be in November 2015.
The cost of the survey that the district will pay for is not to exceed $5,000, Isom said.
Jeff Hanson, representing the Channel Cats swim team, said that group had many volunteers to help promote a bond measure that would help improve the Westshore Pool.
“I think this is a good idea. I think our community will support it,” said Board Trustee Dennis Darling.
Darling suggested adding a clause to the contract between Isom and the district that will call for the agreement to be nullified if the district decides not to move forward with the work.
Trustee Tom Powers moved to approve the contract, with Tina Scott seconding and the board voting 5-0.
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