CONEJO DISTRICT TRIES BOND AGAIN; SCHOOL OFFICIALS SEEK $97 MILLION FOR REPAIRS.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Two Ventura County school districts are taking their multimillion-dollar school bond initiatives - one ranking as the largest in county history - back to the voters for a second look on Tuesday.

The Conejo Valley Unified School District hopes to secure a $97 million bond for repair and modernization projects, while Moorpark voters will consider a $16 million initiative that would to fund construction and high-tech equipment at local schools.

The Conejo Valley bond would be financed over 30 years, with Thousand Oaks homeowners paying an average of $24.36 annually per $100,000 of assessed valuation. In Moorpark, homeowners would tack on $28.80 to property tax bills for every $100,000 of assessed valuation over about 10 years.

Each of the measures failed to win the required two-thirds majority last November - Conejo Valley by fewer than 700 votes of the nearly 28,000 cast and Moorpark by just 66 votes of the 2,548 ballots.

Conejo's Measure V and Moorpark's Measure W are similar to their predecessors. However, in trying to convince voters to approve the bond measures this time around, the districts have compiled extensive lists of repair and construction projects the money would help fund.

Conejo Valley officials identified more than 900 projects - totaling $101 million - on its 31 campuses. Moorpark's list totals about $15 million, with inflation bumping estimated costs to just over $16 million.

In both districts, critics have scolded school officials for failing to save money over the years to finance such projects. Anti-tax advocates in Thousand Oaks have criticized officials for letting campuses fall into disrepair, while those in Moorpark point out that the buildings still appear new, with large play areas and ample parking lots.

But district officials said the bond money is critical to meeting their current needs and maintaining the facilities over the next three decades. They said contentious issues proposed alongside the school measures last November may have drawn fewer school supporters to the voting booths.

This winter, each district's board of trustees approved placing the measures on the ballot a second time. Rather than join the long list of races in June's primary election, the districts opted to hold special elections - costing Moorpark $25,000 and Conejo Valley $100,000.

On average, special elections tend to draw fewer opposing votes, said Bruce Bradley, county elections director. Last year, Fillmore's special election reached 30 percent turnout while Port Hueneme's yielded only 13 percent, he said.

Those figures were still less than last November's election in Thousand Oaks, where about 38 percent of registered voters turned out to participate in a controversial election that involved the recall of council member Elois Zeanah.

In Moorpark, 24 percent voted for the sister school bond measure alongside a more contentious park assessment measure last November.

``The districts don't simply want high turnout. They want the high turnout of supporters,'' Bradley said. ``But the final results will depend on how hard the districts have worked to get out the vote and how much the voters care.''

WHEN TO VOTE

Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 14. For precinct and other election information, call the Ventura County Elections Office at [phone].

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