Santa Cruz County school districts will ask voters to borrow millions for repairs, workforce housing

Five districts in the Santa Cruz County public school system are asking their voters to vote yes on bond measures this November to fund repairs to leaky roofs, replacement of aging heating and air conditioning systems and modernization of classrooms. Three of those districts are also seeking funding to build workforce housing.  

Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Soquel Union Elementary School District, Live Oak School District, Scotts Valley Unified School District and Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District all have bond measures on the ballot. 

The largest school district in the county, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, is seeking the largest bond of all the districts – and in its history – at $315 million. Chief Business Officer Jenny Im told Lookout that the district plans to renovate aging schools, some nearly 100 years old, update old classroom technology and improve teacher retention by building workforce housing. 

She said a facilities assessment identified more than $1 billion in needed upgrades, but the district has prioritized up to $315 million in projects for this November bond measure. 

“All of our sites have a high need,” she said, adding that each of the district’s 31 schools, including its charter schools, would receive some funding. 

A school bond measure needs at least 55% approval to pass under state law. 

Im, and leaders from the four other districts, told Lookout that their schools are aging and they hope that making these repairs will help students better engage at school. Studies show that students who learn in schools that are well maintained perform better academically. 

Three school districts – Soquel Union Elementary, Live Oak School District and Pajaro Valley Unified School District – are also hoping to improve teacher retention by building rental apartments for their workforce. They say teacher turnover is often tied to the lack of affordable housing in the county – named the country’s most expensive rental market for a second consecutive year.

The Soquel and Pajaro Valley school districts bond measures would also fund improvements to their schools. Live Oak’s November bond measure is solely focused on funding a workforce housing project because voters already passed a $44 million bond measure in March for infrastructure improvements. 

A sixth district that has just 91 Santa Cruz County registered voters also has a bond on the ballot this November. Aromas-San Juan School District, located east of Watsonville in San Benito County, is asking voters to approve a $44 million bond to improve its three schools. If approved, the funds will go toward infrastructure improvements like repairing roofs, renovating classrooms and expanding coding, robotics and engineering workshops. 

Pajaro Valley Unified School District 

Measure M: $315 million

Funds would go toward infrastructure improvements at each of its 31 schools, and potentially toward building a workforce housing complex for its staff and teachers. 

PVUSD Chief Business Officer Jenny Im said it’s essential the district make these improvements to its schools. 

The district estimates that it has over $1 billion in facilities needs, and students will feel more excited to come to class if their schools have up-to-date technology and upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. 

The district serves more than 15,000 students, and another 1,000 at its six charter schools. Im said nearly 40% of its sites were first occupied before 1960, and four of its sites were built almost 100 years ago. The district has about 400 aging portables, and some are 50 years old. 

“All of our sites have a high need,” she said. 

In addition to renovating old building infrastructure, the district plans to make improvements related to outdated technology in its classrooms, update Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility and replace portables with permanent buildings at schools including Amesti, Bradley, Landmark and MacQuiddy elementary schools. 

The district is also conducting feasibility studies for two large projects: a performing arts center at Pajaro Valley High School and workforce housing development. Im said the district doesn’t yet have a property for the housing project finalized and it’s still conducting staff surveys to understand interest. 

The district employs 2,379 employees: 1,116 are classified staff and 1,263 have teaching credentials. 

There are still many details to work out about location, costs and how large it could potentially be. 

Im added that the district will be finalizing its facilities master plan in October and the district will present the report to the board of trustees then. 

“Without the bond measure, it would be incredibly difficult to do the renovations and bring technology projects,” she said. “It will have a direct impact on student outcomes and achievement.” 

She said the most recent bond voters approved was Measure L in 2012 for $150 million. About 7% of those funds remain. Around 54,550 registered voters reside within the district’s boundaries. 

Scotts Valley Unified School District 

Measure O: $85 million 

Funding would go toward two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. 

Superintendent Tanya Krause said the district has identified over $100 million in needed upgrades across all of its schools. The middle school campus has fewer needs because it was most recently modernized with the help of a successful 2014 bond measure.

“There is something for everyone in this plan,” she said.

The district’s four schools serve about 2,168 students. Krause said, with the bond, the district hopes to do basic infrastructure improvements at the schools including repairing leaky roofs, HVAC systems and modernizing classrooms, as well as a couple of projects unique to some of the schools’ needs.

Krause said neither of the elementary schools has a multipurpose room, which also means they don’t have cafeterias. 

“There is no large dedicated indoor space other than their classrooms,” she said. “So those are big items for both elementaries and then also upgraded playground equipment, which is incredibly expensive, but ours is outdated.” 

She added that although the middle school was just modernized, there is no air conditioning in the gym and the district hopes to fund that project with the bond as well. 

Krause said that the almost 25-year-old Scotts Valley High School has not had any significant upgrades since it was built and is in need of improvements. She said funds would likely go toward renovating the school’s track and field complex and some of the outdoor facilities. 

About 13,571 registered voters reside in the district’s boundaries. 

Soquel Union Elementary School District

Measure P: $73 million 

Funds will go toward three elementary schools and one middle school and potentially a small workforce housing project. 

Superintendent Scott Turnbull said if the bond measure is passed, the district has several major plans, including a small workforce housing project and replacing its three elementary schools’ athletic fields with artificial turf. 

“The very first thing we would focus on would be our fields,” he said. “Our fields are not in good shape, and it’s hard to say, because we have so much pride in our school district, but facts are facts, and our play fields are not in good shape.” 

Turnbull said gophers are to blame. They’ve successfully evaded any attempts at eradication. 

“There’s a lot of holes,” he said of fields at Soquel, Main Street and Santa Cruz Gardens elementary schools. “It’s an undefeatable problem we’ve come to find.” 

Turnbull said the district had enough funds in its general budget, about $5 million, to add turf fields at New Brighton Middle School, and that’s already underway. 

In addition to adding turf fields at the elementary schools, for about $10 million total, the district also plans to do general maintenance, like repairing roofs and modernizing classrooms, at all its schools. The district is currently working on an updated master facilities plan, Turnbull said, which will further help officials decide what is most urgently needed. 

“All of our schools are in need of some of those repairs,” he said. 

Turnbull said the district is also still conducting surveys with staff about its potential workforce housing development. Very preliminary plans include building about 15 to 20 units at an open space on the Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School campus – land that the district owns. 

“That’s where we have a lucky advantage over some districts,” said Turnbull, about not having to purchase or find land to develop housing. 

The district has 186 employees: 98 are certificated employees (of whom 78 are teachers) and 88 are classified employees. 

The district’s voters most recently approved a bond, Measure C, in 2016 for $42 million. Turnbull said those funds expired several years ago. About 19,163 registered voters reside within the district’s boundaries. 

Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District 

Measure L: $7 million 

Funds will go toward the single school district’s one elementary school campus. 

Superintendent Mike Heffner said while a recent facilities assessment found about $15.7 million in needed renovations and improvements, the district is seeking $7 million for what the school board designated as the most urgent. 

“The oldest part of this campus is pushing the 80-year mark,” said Heffner. “It’s common for me in the winter to be walking around the campus with a shovel – drainage systems have had roots grow in them to the point that they don’t drain well.” 

The district serves 100 students in grades transitional kindergarten through sixth. Overall, the district has 23 employees, and within that, nine certificated teachers. 

Heffner said while the facilities are well maintained, it’s time to do some needed upgrades rather than putting temporary patches on projects. He said the district has three categories of proposed projects for this potential funding: school campus projects like improving accessible pathways and the field; school building projects like upgrading HVAC systems, windows and restrooms; and community facilities projects like improving the multipurpose building which serves as a community resource center and Red Cross shelter.

“Bonny Doon [Elementary] being the closest thing to a park in Bonny Doon, our community relies on us to be that space,” he said. “We’ve got projects that include adding an amphitheater to the campus, improving play structures and connecting them to our community-funded Loop Trail.” 

The district needs 55% of the just 2,129 registered voters in the district’s boundaries to vote in favor. The previous time voters approved a bond measure was in 1991 for $1.5 million, according to Heffner. With that funding, he said the district built an office building, kindergarten and multipurpose room on its upper campus. 

Live Oak School District 

Measure N: $45 million 

Funding would go toward a potential workforce housing project. 

Superintendent Pat Sánchez said the district, like many across the state struggling with housing affordability, needs to stabilize its workforce. 

“The real push for [the bond measure] is the concern for the cost of living in Santa Cruz. It’s really hard for employees to stay and live here,” said Sánchez, who was recently hired and still lives in Morgan Hill. 

The district hasn’t finalized plans for a housing development yet, as it’s undecided where the project will be located. Sánchez said the current plans are for about 14 to 25 units, but it all depends on the design and location. 

Live Oak School District has 198 employees and serves about 1,600 students at its three elementary schools and one middle school. Voters recently approved a $44 million bond measure this spring which will go toward infrastructure improvements for its schools and existing facilities. 

District officials had previously hoped to develop housing on district-owned land at 1777 Capitola Rd. where it leases two buildings to two local community service organizations: Community Bridges and Senior Network Services. After two years of contentious negotiations, eviction notices and lease extensions, the district board approved a two-year lease agreement for the organizations at its Wednesday board meeting. 

Community Bridges spokesperson Tony Nuñez told Lookout the organization planned to move forward with the agreement. However, he added that Community Bridges issued a press release to clarify that the organization isn’t taking a stance on the district’s Measure N for the workforce housing bond. 

“The argument in favor of Measure N identifies a former employee as the ‘Founder and former director of Community Bridges/Live Oak Family Resource Center.’ This description could be misinterpreted to reflect a position our agency is purposefully restraining from taking,” the statement reads. “While this individual was part of the team that established the Live Oak Family Resource Center, which was later integrated into Community Bridges as Live Oak Community Resources, they were never the founder or director of Community Bridges.” 

Community Bridges asked the Santa Cruz County Elections Department about correcting the description, but learned it could be clarified only through a court order, which would be a lengthy process. 

Sánchez said that the district still has much to evaluate regarding the workforce housing project, and is also in the midst of ensuring that its recently passed bond measure is executed well. 

“There’s no final conclusion on the location of the housing,” he said. “And there’s no final conclusion on what we could or should do with the senior center.” 

Sánchez said he understands the challenges faced by staff who struggle with affordability. 

“As an example, I’d like to move here and even rent or buy something,” he said. “But if I’m looking at it, and it’s frustrating, certainly I can’t even imagine what it’s like for a classified employee, beyond just teachers – wages that our custodians, kitchen folks make, how do they even afford to live here?” 

About 14,808 registered voters reside within the district’s boundaries. 

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