Plumas district seeks bond measures

Feb. 7—The Plumas Lake Elementary School District is joining several area school districts in a push for bond measures in the March 5 primary election.

Pending approval from voters, three separate measures totalling $54 million could fund a new middle school to address growth and overcrowding in the district.

Superintendent Jeff Roberts held community information meetings regarding the proposed bonds on Tuesday at Rio Del Oro Elementary School and River Meadows Intermediate School. According to Roberts, Measures V, W, and X amount to $18 million individually, and would fund separate facility needs for a new middle school. If approved, Measure V will fund construction of standard classrooms and a library, Measure W will help fund specialty classrooms and facilities including a multipurpose room, and Measure X will provide sports facilities and physical education spaces. All of these facilities will contribute to a campus housing 800 students with enough space to expand its capacity to 1,200 students.

Plumas Lake Elementary School District owns 25 acres of land for a fourth school. The site for a new middle school is located on River Oaks Boulevard in Plumas Lake across from the Linda Fire Protection District 3 station. To minimize costs, this campus would be connected to a future community park and high school site in the Wheatland Union High School District.

Plumas Lake Elementary School District has seen "tremendous growth" in recent years due to surrounding residential development which will lead to overcrowding in the near future, Roberts said. The district has seen a 30% increase in enrollment since 2019, leading to a total of 1,661 students across two elementary schools and one junior high. Demographers from King Consulting estimate that the district will have approximately 2,200 students by 2030.

The district's previous attempt at funding a new middle school through Measure D fell short in 2016, missing the two-thirds voter threshold by just 27 votes, Roberts said. Had the measure passed, the district would have been able to invest $20 million into a new school site, which would have been completed by now.

Measure R, a $45 million bond, also failed to pass in 2022 with 56% of voters approving, but failing to reach the two-thirds threshold.

Fast forward to 2024, the costs to construct a middle school has increased substantially, and Roberts believes that the price will continue to climb if voters don't approve these measures in the upcoming election.

"We placed a $20 million bond in 2016. We would have already had a middle school built and done. ... Eight years later, that same site is costing us three times what it would have cost us. That's the piece that eats me as I talk to people. This has to happen now so we're not paying two or three times that in just a couple more years," he said.

As general obligation bonds, Measures V, W, and X will require only 55% of voter approval for them to pass. This also means that the bonds are capped at $30 per $100,000 in assessed value. District officials said that the three bonds would cost the average taxpayer $122 per year per bond.

Should these measures pass, the district plans to begin construction by the first quarter of 2025 with some classrooms ready by the fall of 2026, Roberts said.

"We won't have a school by fall of 2026, but we may have classrooms. The first thing we would do is build classrooms and then work on a gym and a multipurpose room. We know that growth-wise, we could get through next year, but the year after that, we're really going to be looking forward to a new site opening up," Roberts said. "We don't want to spend anymore money on temporary classrooms. If we're going to spend our money, let's spend our money on what we really need."

The district will also apply for $20 million in state funds, which will most likely become available after the Nov. 5 election. These funds are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be matched by local funds, Roberts said.

Continued efforts for bonds

Marysville Joint Unified School District, Wheatland Union High School District and Sutter Union High School District will also feature separate bond measures on the March 5 ballot.

Like Plumas Lake Elementary School District, Marysville Joint Unified is seeking $97 million for the construction of a new middle school in south Yuba County along with district-wide facilities improvements. Officials estimate that the highest tax rate would be around $45 per $100,000 for properties within district boundaries, should the bond measure pass.

Wheatland Union High School District is seeking two separate bonds worth $20 million and $8.7 million to continue construction for the new Plumas Lake High School and carry out various modernization projects for Wheatland Union High School.

The district plans on repairing and replacing aging roofs, classrooms and facilities, including a new multipurpose room and cafeteria. The district also plans to upgrade aging utility systems including gas, water, sewage and ventilation systems. Officials estimate rates of $30 and $27 per $100,000 in assessed value for each bond.

Sutter Union High School District is pursuing a $13.8 million bond measure to fund a number of modernization projects including the Sutter Union High School football stadium and athletic facilities as well as new classrooms.

Bond proceeds will also help provide new furnishing and equipment for school sites, the resolution said. Should the measure pass, district officials anticipate it generating around $840,000 annually with the highest levied tax rate sitting at $25 per $100,000 for properties within Sutter Union's boundaries.