A $298 Million school bond is on the November ballot.
The School Board has approved Resolution 28-2023/24 for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) to put a $298 million School Bond ($455 million including interest) in this November’s ballot. The fund from the Bond will be used “to complete urgent repairs and safety improvements.”
PVP Watch researched the Bond briefly and found areas needing clarification. For example:
Estimated property tax increase understated?
The Resolution states that if this Bond is passed, homeowners will pay an additional $29.49 per $100,000 of assessed home value, and that the District needs $16.8 million in taxes annually to service the Bond debt. This des not include the interest on the Bond. To provide the $16.8 million annually, homeowners will need to pay $53 per $100,000 of assessed value, 80% higher than the District's claim of $29.49.
In real terms, a home assessed at $2 million will likely see an additional $1,060 in property tax annually if this Bond is passed. Proportionally, a home with a $1 million assessment will see $530 per year, and so on. We encourage homeowners to check their property tax statement to determine the assessment of their homes.
Project and costs details lacking.
Resolution 28-2023/24 contained a long list of projects with generic wording but lacks cost details. The Resolution stated that “The District has partnered with architects, school facilities experts, parents, teachers, staff, students, and the community to conduct a thorough assessment and prioritization of needed projects at each school campus.”
PVP Watch submitted a Public Request Act (PRA) request to the Districts on August 5 seeking specific clarification on the bond, individual project, associated costs, and priorities of these projects. As of August 21, we have not received any usable information.
Support for the Bond?
The District published results from two separate surveys conducted by consultants. Based on the results, the District concluded that voters would support passing the Bond. Measure PV in 2020 was a similar bond measure but was defeated by a 63 to 37 margin. PVP Watch is unsure of the support level of this Bond and would like to verify it. We invite you to participate in a peninsula wide survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZXNB97W
This survey measures the support level of the new Bond and identifies the reasons for support or rejection. We asked some demographic questions at the end of the survey to ensure that our samples are representative of the population on the peninsula. The survey will take about two to three minutes to complete.
Please forward the link to your friends and neighbors. We would like to collect as many responses as possible.
Next steps.
The above summary is a brief look at the Bond. PVP Watch will further research the facts on this bond measure and publish them along with the results of the survey. We would like our readers to make informed voting decisions. You can view Resolution 28-2023/24 by clicking the hyperlink.
We would like to hear from you.
If you have comments, opinions, or questions about this article, please tell us by sending your emails to info@pvpwatch.com. Your input will help us improve our website and enhance your experience.
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