Tam Union gives preliminary OK for stripped-down bond ballot measure

Voters in the Tamalpais Union High School District will be asked to support a scaled-back bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Trustees on Tuesday gave unanimous preliminary support to a draft proposal for a $289 million bond measure that strips down spending to only the most critical needs and safety repairs for the district’s five high schools.

The board will vote on the final resolution for ballot placement and the ballot language on Aug. 6.

The proposed plan is down by about 45% from the $517 million Measure A bond that failed to get the required 55% of voter approval in the March 5 election. It is also substantially less than the $440 million bond option the district floated at a board meeting two months ago, which received lukewarm polling results.

“We’ve been listening to the community,” trustee Karen Loebbaka said before she and other board members verbally agreed to a draft resolution Tuesday to place the reduced amount bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot.

“What the community wants is a lower amount,” Loebbaka added. “The $289 million bond shows we really did our homework and got it down to the most critical must-dos.”

If approved by 55% of voters on Nov. 5, the bond proposal would assess a tax of $17.60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation per property annually. For the median average district home assessed at $1.1 million, the tax would amount to $193 annually.

Trustees said they took the last two weeks since the $289 million plan was proposed to read comments from voters in a recent mail survey and to consider the full range of community feedback.

Comments from Marin seniors, some of whom may be living on fixed incomes, were especially relevant in favoring the lower amount for the bond, they said.

“More and more seniors are feeling housing insecure,” board president Leslie Harlander said, pointing to a recent Marin County Civil Grand Jury report. “While we do take that seriously, it isn’t an option for us not to do anything.”

State law prohibits school districts from offering a senior exemption on facilities bond measures. The state law disallowing senior exemptions on bond measures wasn’t made clear during the March campaign, trustees said.

The lower bond amount reflects a sensitivity to seniors and other taxpayers who may be struggling, they said.

“Our community wants more of a rationale,” trustee Cynthia Roenisch said in reacting to the survey respondents’ comments. “I feel much more comfortable now in going with the reduced number than I did two weeks ago.”

Corbett Elsen, assistant superintendent for business and operations, said the most critical safety needs include such things as roof repairs, air conditioning, athletic field turf replacement and improved access for people with disabilities.

“While I am sympathetic that things are more expensive now, it’s critical that we get these projects underway,” said trustee Kevin Saavedra.

Some district high school classrooms are becoming much hotter than they were before, Roenisch said. Some are hitting up to 87 degrees Fahrenheit, she said.

“We didn’t need air conditioning before,” she said. “There’s some urgency now.”

If the measure does not pass in November, the district will have to use general fund financing for those critical safety projects, Elsen said. Tapping the general fund would lead to major budget cuts in staffing and programs, he added.

Ned Rusky, who spoke during the public comment period Tuesday, said the district needed to present to the community the critical nature of the repairs and improvements.

“You need to show that you’re not shooting for pie in the sky,” he said.

The $289 million, if passed by voters, would spend $60.3 million on Archie Williams High School, $103.3 million at Redwood High School, $120.6 million on Tamalpais High School and $5.5 million on Tamiscal and San Andreas alternative high schools, and the district and community education offices.

In addition to widespread roof repairs, HVAC system upgrades, athletic field turf replacements, disability access and other improvements, major projects would include:

• A new $76.6 million STEAM building at Tam High. An auto shop building replacement at the school was eliminated, saving about $16 million
• A $72.1 million fine arts, music building replacement and multipurpose eating area construction at Redwood. The entire project was reduced in scope by $32 million
• A $11.3 million performing arts center renovation, a $7.9 million creekside outdoor demonstration building, and new baseball and football fields at $2.4 million each at Archie Williams.

Mimi Willard, head of the Marin Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, said she was still studying the measure and weighing it with several other potential Nov. 5 ballot items. COST was the major opponent of Measure A in March.

“The $289 million latest plan will cost taxpayers about 45% less than Measure A, which we led a campaign to defeat,” Willard said in an email.

The defeat was “a major victory for sensible taxpayers,” she said.

“We’re studying the specifics and will be learning more as we get answers to our questions in coming days,” she said. “The prospects for the scaled back measure are still uncertain, as voter appetite for additional taxes this fall is poor.”

If the $289 million bond passes in November and if California voters pass a separate facilities bond that is also on the ballot, Tam Union could be eligible for $41 million in matching funds from the state bond by 2031, Elsen said. There would be no impact on individual tax bills if the state bond passes, he said.

“State bonds are paid from state general fund from existing state tax collections and do not result in a tax increase,” he said.