PHONE LINES GET BUSY FOR BOND; BACKERS SEE SUPPORT FOR PALMDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT MEASURE.Byline: Cynthia Teed Daily News Staff Writer Phone banks are busy as supporters of a $35.5 million bond on the June 8 ballot deluge Deluge (dĕl`y  j), in the Bible, the overwhelming flood that covered the earth and destroyed every living thing except the family of Noah and the creatures in his ark. voters in the Newhall school district The Newhall School District is a school district in the Santa Clarita Valley that serves the Valencia and Newhall communities within the city of Santa Clarita, California, as well as the Stevenson Ranch community in unincorporated Los Angeles County. .
Backers of the bond measure see the debt instrument as the best way to finance overdue renovations and to alleviate overcrowded o·ver·crowd v. o·ver·crowd·ed, o·ver·crowd·ing, o·ver·crowds v.tr. To cause to be excessively crowded: a system of consolidation that only overcrowded the classrooms. classrooms. Some of the district schools have not been significantly upgraded in the last 30 years. Peachtree Avenue Elementary parent Julie Green participated in phone banks that began last week. ``I called about 65 people,'' Green said. ``Only one person was opposed to the bond issue, only one was undecided, so things look good.'' Supporters like Green have organized campaigns to inform the voters on their arguments for passage of the bond. Colleen col·leen n. An Irish girl. [Irish Gaelic cailín, diminutive of caile, girl, from Old Irish. Henriques and Liz Eisen, members of a citizens committee called Yes for Kids believe the bond will win the needed two-thirds voter approval to pass. No organized opposition has surfaced. District officials mailed letters in December to voters outlining specific problems at their nearest school. Newhall schools Superintendent Marc Winger said the mailings were tailored to people who had voted in each of the last five elections. But just 18 percent of those who received the letters are parents whose children attend district schools. ``It's the other 82 percent whose votes will be crucial if Newhall hopes to raise money through a local property tax hike,'' Winger said. ``To win the bond election, we need those people.'' Last week school officials sent schoolchildren schoolchildren school npl → écoliers mpl; (at secondary school) → collégiens mpl; lycéens mpl schoolchildren school home with bilingual voter registration Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens to check in with some central registry before being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive. Centralized/compulsory vs. forms and a letter urging parents to vote. Measure K would raise $35.5 million and cost homeowners $43 per $100,000 of the assessed value of their home. The median value Noun 1. median value - the value below which 50% of the cases fall median statistics - a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population of a home in the district is $194,000. Money generated from Measure K would be used to replace aging roofs, acquire land for a new school, build additional permanent classrooms and upgrade heating, air conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. , ventilation, electrical and plumbing systems. Children's restrooms would be renovated while deteriorating playground and sidewalk surfaces would be repaired. Compliance with fire, safety and seismic standards would also be met. ``The school bond issue? Of course I'm in favor,'' said Steve Colf, picking up his grandchild from Valencia Valley School. ``The cost for $300,000 homeowners is only $129, or only $10 a month for education. Hey, we throw away more than $10 each month.'' The Newhall district has seven schools with 6,000 students, who are already divided into four schedules to alleviate overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. . ``The district has experienced a consistent growth rate of 2 to 4 percent,'' Winger said. ``And we expect its growth to continue.'' Newhall schools range in age from Stevenson Ranch Stevenson Ranch, California (in the 91381 ZIP Code) is a Los Angeles County, USA, unincorporated community west of Santa Clarita a few miles south of Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. The Stevenson Ranch fountain was redone in 2007. Elementary, which opened in September 1995, to Newhall Elementary, which opened in 1939. A few date to the 1960s and 1970s. Forty percent of classrooms are in temporary buildings. Such portable classrooms cost $15,000-$25,000 to install and $7,000 more for the annual lease, Winger said. ``There is a shortage of classroom space as a result of class-size reduction in K-3 and because of increasing student enrollment. At many of our schools, playgrounds have been reduced to make room for portable classrooms,'' Winger said in a recent letter which was part of an informational mailing campaign spearheaded by Winger and directed to registered voters living within the Newhall district. ``Many of the district's schools were built at least 30 years ago, and some have not had significant renovation over the years,'' Winger added. The school board and Winger have conducted telephone polls, hired consultants and initiated informational letter campaigns to gauge voter support for the bond measure after two previous attempts have failed. The Newhall school board placed bonds on the June 1991 and November 1991 ballots. Both times, the proposed property tax - $20 million to be repaid over a 20-year period - failed. But Winger is optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op . ``We're going to pass this bond because needs are different and times are different,'' he said. ``The bond will pass because the state now is flush with money from voter approval in November of a $9 billion school construction bond.'' The Newhall school district can capitalize immediately on a portion of this statewide bond which provides $6.7 billion for K-12 infrastructure needs, if the required matching funds Noun 1. matching funds - funds that will be supplied in an amount matching the funds available from other sources cash in hand, finances, funds, monetary resource, pecuniary resource - assets in the form of money are made available through the general obligation bonds, like Measure K, he said. Several parents questioned recently at Peachland Avenue and Valencia Valley schools said they oppose the bond, saying the money wouldn't help their children, extra funding should be used to increase teacher salaries and build new schools, and they wouldn't have control over how the money was spent. ``True, more money is targeted toward the older schools,'' Winger said. ``But all schools will receive funds according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. need.'' He said no school will be forgotten. An oversight committee will be appointed by the school board to review and direct how possible revenue will be distributed. MEASURE K is a $35.5 million bond measure facing voters June 8 in the Newhall School District. If approved by two-thirds of the voters, the money would go to build a new campus and finance the following projects at district schools: Renovate outdated classrooms and libraries Construct new classrooms to relieve overcrowding Upgrade electrical systems Repair aging roofs Renovate heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems ventilation system Public health An air system designed to maintain negative pressure and exhaust air properly, to minimize the spread of TB and other respiratory pathogens in a health care facility Upgrade fire, safety and security systems Renovate old restrooms NEWHALL SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES FACTS The district can receive a portion of $6.7 billion in state funding if the required matching funds are made available through the general obligation bond. The following shows some projects planned if the local bond is approved and how much money the district would expect from the state: Wiley Canyon modernization modernization Transformation of a society from a rural and agrarian condition to a secular, urban, and industrial one. It is closely linked with industrialization. As societies modernize, the individual becomes increasingly important, gradually replacing the family, 80 percent of costs matched by state Old Orchard modernization 80 percent of costs matched by state Meadows modernization 80 percent of costs matched by state Possible East Side school 50 percent of costs matched by state A developer agreement with The Newhall Land and Farming Company The Newhall Land and Farming Company is a land management company based in Valencia, California, United States. The company is responsible for the master community planning of Valencia, as well as the management of farm land elsewhere in the state. will build a new 840-student elementary school elementary school: see school. in the planned Westridge development. No bond money will be used for the project. Newhall Land could be reimbursed for 50 percent of costs from state funds. A ``conceptual agreement'' has been reached with Lennar Communities, Stevenson Ranch Venture, to construct two additional permanent schools within Stevenson Ranch. No bond money would be used for these projects. Reimbursement Reimbursement Payment made to someone for out-of-pocket expenses has incurred. for 50 percent of costs can come from state funds. SOURCE: Newhall School District CAPTION(S): Box BOX: NEWHALL SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES FACTS (See text) |
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