SDCTA Opposes Proposition C: Cajon Valley Union School District Bond Reauthorization
The District is seeking a tax up of to $30 per $100,000 of assessed property in order to reauthorize the remaining $88.4 million of the $156.5 million authorized by Proposition D in 2008. Alternatively, the District may wait for assessed property values to rise in order to resume issuing the current bonds or by issuing capital appreciation bonds (CABs). To date, CVUSD has expanded the scope of four projects, with the most notable being a $3.2 million expansion of Greenfield Middle School's gymnasium. While it is understood that construction is dynamic and requires flexibility, repeated scope expansions jeopardize the future of critically-needed projects. In addition, the tax rate that was justified by needs may be overstated given that needed projects can be completed under budget. In the absence of a formal policy that limits the District's ability to expand scope, the internal review process has demonstrated an inherent tendency towards approving project expansions. SDCTA believes that any project savings should be left in contingency and applied to future projects on the program list; repeatedly expanding projects with taxpayer dollars is fiscally irresponsible.