Measure A at a Glance
WHAT: A $298 million facility bond measure designed to maintain excellent neighborhood schools, offset state budget cuts, and retain/attract quality teachers without increasing the 2012 tax rate.WHEN: California’s Presidential Primary Election June 5, 2012
TAX IMPACT: As in recent CUSD bond measures, if approved, Measure A would not increase the existing tax rate at the time of the election. Watch Video
Schools on Project List: Every school in Clovis Unified would benefit from construction & renovation included on the Measure A project list.
EXAMPLES of Projects:
• Upgrading classrooms, science labs, fire safety systems and libraries
• Acquiring sites, constructing and equipping new schools
• Improving energy efficiency systems to return money spent on utilities to the classroom
• Enhancing vocational education facilities
• Ensuring handicapped accessibility
• Health and safety improvements to older schools to repair deteriorating restrooms and leaky roofs, replace outdated heating and air conditioning systems, security systems and fire alarms
Measure A was approved with 65% of voters giving Clovis Unified the green light on this important facility bond measure. Thank you to everyone who voted in the June 5 election.
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On June 5, 2012, voters in Clovis Unified were asked to vote on Measure A, a $298 million school bond. This school bond measure was recommended by a group of representative citizens who spent six months studying a comprehensive facility audit of Clovis Unified schools. The bond measure was approved with a 65% approval rate.
The school bond was designed to maintain good neighborhood schools and retain/attract quality teachers by:
- Upgrading classrooms, science labs, vocational education opportunities, fire safety systems and libraries;
- Fixing leaking roofs, deteriorating plumbing and bathrooms;
- Ensuring handicapped accessibility; and
- Acquiring sites, constructing and equipping school facilities.
Passage of Measure A does not result in a tax increase, but provides local dollars to maintain Clovis Unified facilities at the level our students and community deserve and have come to expect.
Some facts about Measure A
- Taxpayers living within the Clovis Unified School District have a lower school district bond measure tax rate than those living within the Fresno Unified School District. The CUSD rate of $156/$100,000 of assessed valuation is approximately 27% less than that paid by a property owner in Fresno Unified, where the current tax rate is $198/$100,000 of assessed valuation.
- The current tax rate did not increase with the passage of Measure A, it simply maintains the existing tax rate over time.
- There were two previously approved CUSD bond measures with outstanding debt, the 2001 and 2004 bond measures. Property owners see five items on their annual tax bill related to CUSD bond measures because of the way Fresno County records each bond sale as a separate item.
- According to the most recent Fitch Report (issued by one of the leading national rating firms of public or private financing) in which Clovis Unified received a AA+ bond rating, 65% of our past bonds were paid off in 10 years or less. This is significantly earlier than is typical, and like early repayment of any public debt has saved taxpayers millions of dollars over time. Clovis Unified’s AA+ rating is the highest of any of the 20 largest school districts in the state and one of the highest given to any school district in California.
- The last time Clovis Unified taxpayers were asked to vote on a bond measure was eight years ago in 2004.