San Ysidro Elementary School District leaders are celebrating the passage of three local bond measures. But they won’t know about state matching funds for years.
In November, voters approved nearly $150 million in bonds for the district. Most of it will fund improvements to Ocean View Hills Elementary School and Vista Del Mar Middle School, in the eastern part of the district.
Thousands of homes are under construction in nearby Otay Mesa.
“We are already seeing the impact of those housing developments within our residency boundaries,” said Jose Iniguez, the district’s assistant superintendent.
Iniguez expects about 4,000 new students from the area over the next decade.
“We anticipate the need to have to build one, minimum, maybe two schools within the next five to 10 years,” he said.
In California, school construction funding comes from state and local bonds passed by voters. This November, California voters passed Proposition 2. It allows the state to borrow $8.5 billion to repair K-12 schools.
Districts have to come up with local funds for construction costs before applying for state funds, said Marilyn Adrianzen, the district’s chief business officer.
“We have to pre-fund the projects and then apply,” she said. “And it takes eight to 10 years for a result, for an answer, from the state.”
Iniguez said it takes a lot of work to submit those applications, especially in small districts with fewer staff.
“For a small district like we are – Marilyn and I wear so many hats – we literally have to carve out time in order to do this,” he said. “The system is not perfect.”
Iniguez said the lack of permanent construction funding makes it hard to plan.
“When you think about facilities, they're depreciating every year … the wear and tear, being used by kids, the elements, the sun,” he said. “It's a constant and certain expense, but the funding is not guaranteed. And that's what's so frustrating.”
For now, Adrianzen said projects funded by local bonds passed in 2020 are just getting started.
Bonds passed in half of the 16 districts that had measures on the ballot this fall. Along with San Ysidro, districts in San Marcos, Warner Springs, Sweetwater, Chula Vista, Encinitas, Lemon Grove and South Bay all saw bonds pass.
Bond measures failed in Bonsall, Ramona, Valley Center, Fallbrook, Alpine, Cajon Valley, Dehesa and Santee.
