A bond for Cinnabar Measure J would fix school facilities

The Cinnabar School District has never before asked voters for financial assistance, but school district officials say the time has come when the school’s aging facilities need more help than the general budget can handle.

Measure J was placed on the Nov. 4 ballot specifically to repair and replace aging infrastructure at the district’s one school - Cinnabar Charter School.

It calls for a $2.5 million general obligation bond that would be repaid in 25 to 30 years. Cost to district homeowners would be approximately $30 per $100,000 of their homes’ assessed value. The school is home to about 170 students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. Last year, it was selected a California Distinguished School.

Unseen, but of major concern to district officials, are the half-century-old water and sewer lines. The school’s HVAC systems are in need of upgrades as some of the classrooms have no air conditioning.

Cinnabar was able to renovate its multi-purpose room with state funds last season, but the building still has no kitchen and no stage. The quad near the playground is nothing but ground, hard-packed in the summer that becomes mud when it rains.

The school must also replace two aging temporary buildings.

One of the school’s biggest needs is the costly replacement of leaky roofs that have been patched and fixed to the point where they cannot be repaired much longer. That also includes the replacement of rusty and leaking rain gutters. Most of the school’s windows are single-pane and need to be upgraded and replaced.

“Cinnabar School has never gone to the voters, but we have some big stuff to fix now,” said school Superintendent and Principal Tracie Kern. She pointed out that the district has added transitional kindergarten as well as seventh- and eighth-grade classes. “We’re growing and we have greater needs,” she said.

District Business manager Patty Murch said the bond measure will not meet all the needs, but will be augmented by money from the general fund and from the state.

“We’re looking to get the biggest bang for our buck that we possibly can,” she said.

One of the items not on the bond list is technology upgrades. That is already being done through the district general fund budget.

Boardmember Jennifer Elu emphasized that funds from Meausre J will not go for computers, administrative costs or operating expenses, but will be used exclusively to renovate and upgrade the school facilities.

“We want to provide our students with the very best possible facilities we can offer, including a sturdy roof over their heads and warm classrooms in the winter,” she said.

An oversight committee will be established to oversee the issuance of the bonds and the completion of projects.

The Sonoma County Taxpayers’ Association is opposed to the measure largely because of what they say is a lack of information.

“We requested information regarding their financial reserves and reserving practices, and received no response,” said Dan Drummond, executive director of SCTA. “As far as we can tell, they have no reserving policy and have not done any cost studies to let them know what the replacement costs of their assets are.”

He added that there appears to be no useful match between the life of the assets being purchased and the life of the bonds.

Murch said the district reserves are more than the 15 percent recommended by the state, but that the needs are greater than can be accommodated by the general fund.

Measure J takes only a 50 percent plus one margin to pass.

(Contact John Jackson at johnie.jackson@arguscou rier.com)