A Guide to Measure H, BOUSD’s $160 million Bond Proposal

Lauren Ko, Editor-in-Chief • October 20, 2024

A chainlink fence at the Brea Junior High School campus. Measure H, a $160 million bond aimed at renovating BJH and facilities throughout BOUSD, is on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election.

Pipes held together by duct tape, stained classroom carpets, corroding outdoor speakers, crumbling restrooms, mildew-covered ceilings, and decades-old student and teacher desks are just a few of the issues at the 108-year old Brea Junior High School campus, the primary focus for Brea Olinda Unified School District (BOUSD) in the Nov. 5 election.

To fund repairs and reconstruction projects for its ten schools, which serve nearly 6,000 students from preschool through twelfth grade, BOUSD placed Measure H, a $160 million bond proposal, on this year’s ballot.

District-wide, some of the proposed additions, improvements, and upgrades include: a full-scale renovation of BJH; construction of a multipurpose room and community kitchen at Falcon Academy of Science and Technology (FAST); installation of working heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; and athletics facilities and fields upgrades at Brea Olinda High School.

Measure H is the district’s fourth attempt at securing local funding for its schools. Previous bond measures — in 2012, 2016, and 2020 — failed to pass with a required 55% “yes” vote.

BOUSD isn’t alone in seeking money for its schools. This year, nine other Orange County districts are also placing bond measures on their local ballots. But BOUSD is one of two districts (Capistrano USD is the other) in the county that has not passed a bond in 25 years.

Click the plus signs below to read more about Measure H.

Measure H Explained

What is a School Bond Measure?

A voting drop-box in front of the Brea Civic Center. (Lauren Ko)

School bonds are a loan system where school districts borrow money from the state to fund facilities projects, safety improvements, technological advancements, and educational resources.

Like a mortgage, over a predetermined time period often spanning decades, the district repays the debt with interest through increases in local property taxes.

While the state provides funding for all school district's day-to-day operational costs, such as salaries, instructional programs, and supplies, large-scale infrastructure projects, including safety repairs, building upgrades, and technological improvements are paid for by locally voter-approved bond measures.

Local bonds are limited to each school district's boundaries. To fund improvements for BOUSD schools, all registered voters residing within the district’s boundaries are eligible to vote on Measure H in the Nov. 5 election.

Measure H's Impact on BOUSD Schools: Brea Junior High

An artist’s rendering of BOUSD’s proposed renovation of the 108-year old Brea Junior High campus. (Courtesy of BOUSD)

According to Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Rick Champion, BOUSD will focus the funds from Measure H on several key projects at "priority" sites.

Brea Junior High School

According to Champion, 75% of the bond -- around $120 million -- is projected to fund a modernization of Brea Junior High School’s (BJH) 108-year old campus. The district intends to convert the aging facilities, including eroding pipes, outdated technology, worn floors, and crumbling restrooms, and replace them with modern, health-code approved facilities that “meet 21st-century standards.”

Longstanding concerns such as the mixed use of the cafeteria (dubbed the “CafeGymAtorium” by BJH staff and students for its use as a cafeteria, storage site for PE equipment and golf carts, and the venue for school dances) and the performing arts center which still relies on cassette tapes for its sound, will be addressed with the construction of an architecturally and technologically modern theater to host drama, choir, and band performances, and assemblies for the student body.

Another factor the bond will address is the junior high's growing enrollment. When the campus was built in 1916, it was constructed to accommodate the children of the city's 752 residents. Brea's population today: 48,889.

In addition, to ease overcrowding the district's six elementary schools, BOUSD aims for the expansion of the entire BJH campus to accommodate not just the current seventh and eighth grades, but sixth grade as well.

Within this expansion plan includes the upgrading of individual classrooms, particularly the science classrooms built in the 1970s, that now exceed capacity and are unsuitable for modern, hands-on lab experiences.

To better accommodate its engineering and robotics programs, BOUSD plans to use bond funds to modernize classroom interiors.

“Other schools get to compete in sleek rooms that look like engineering environments," Kristin Risberg, BJH principal, said during a BJH facilities tour, led by Champion and Jeff Ferrato, Administrative Direct of Facilities and MOT, on Oct. 12. "Our students practice in a run-down portable classroom.”

An artist's rendering of two options for the plan depicts a large central common area hub, an amphitheater, designated buildings for sixth graders, a pergola, open “collaborative” courts and picnic spaces, and a gymnasium that will double as community event center.

Measure H's Impact on FAST, BOHS, and Other District Sites

The cracked track in Wildcat Stadium. BOUSD will prioritize the resurfacing of the track and reseeding and leveling the grass field in Wildcat Stadium. (Courtesy of BOUSD.)

Falcon Academy of Science and Technology

At an Oct. 10 BOUSD board meeting, Champion and Ferrato presented a plan for a multi-purpose room at Falcon Elementary of Science and Technology (FAST). As the only elementary school without a multi-purpose room, BOUSD intends to spend an estimated $11.2 million of the bond funds to construct a multi-use room with a kitchen facility that will serve up to 200 breakfasts and 300 lunches daily, as well as host community events.

With its 2020 rebrand as a science technology engineering and math (STEM)-driven campus, FAST hopes to utilize a multi-purpose room, if approved, to hold robotics tournaments and coding events – both of which previously took place outdoors in the summer heat.

Brea Olinda High School

BOUSD identified the deteriorating athletic facilities and fields at Brea Olinda High School (BOHS) as the "third priority" for the proposed bond funds.

Proposed improvements include repairing the cracked pool and tennis courts, resurfacing the track in Wildcat Stadium, and reseeding and leveling the football field.

BOUSD also plans to replace the 35-year old heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units with modern systems to provide reliable temperature control. Currently, athletes in each of the gyms and the shared cheer/wrestling space practice and compete without air conditioning.

In addition, BOUSD will prioritize updates to the drainage and seismic systems, as well as adjust the slopes of hillsides and pathways leading to the athletic fields. These updates will comply with modern architectural requirements adhering to the 2022 California Building Code, replacing those originally drafted in 1976.

Other improvements, like the installation of 85-inch smart TVs in teacher classrooms, are funded not by school bonds, but by Title IV grants, an educational grant designed for equipping schools with tools to support digital literacy in modern learning environments.

District-Wide

The bond will also initiate repairs and fund improvements across all of the district's schools.

The 48 25-year old portable classrooms that were added to accommodate overcrowding in the district are now experiencing leaks, water damage, unstable floors, and irregular ventilation, which, according to the facilities planning media uploaded on its site, BOUSD aims to fix by upgrading, or replacing, altogether.

To alleviate overcrowding across the district, new buildings will be constructed for growing kindergarten, transitional kindergarten, special education, and Child Development enrollment.

Other safety steps outlined in the plan include:

Improving security systems, including the installation of cameras, smoke detectors, fences, and fire alarms.
Fixing uneven flooring and sloped surfaces.
Limiting school access to one-point front office entrances.
Incorporating evacuation and "movement systems "in compliance with statewide disability accessibility and earthquake requirements.
Removing "encapsulated asbestos" at Arovista, Country Hills, Falcon Academy, Laurel, Mariposa, and Brea Junior High School.
Replacing of decades-old carpets, deteriorating roofs, and plumbing systems.
Updating HVAC systems.

The installation of fencing at eight BOUSD schools, which began in September at an estimated cost of $2,550,700, is being paid for out of existing district facilities funds.

Past Bond Failures

Student desks in a BJH classroom. BOUSD aims to replace the aging desks with new work stations to accommodate increased class sizes and provide a modern learning environment for students. (Courtesy of BOUSD)

Since the passage of the 1999 $27 million bond – which primarily funded the construction of Olinda Elementary School, which was completed in 2012 – subsequent bonds in 2012, 2016, and 2020, failed.

In 2012, Measure E sought $54 million for the modernization of existing classrooms and facilities and the construction of career and technical education (CTE) facilities but was defeated with a 51.6% "no" vote.

In 2016, Measure K, which proposed $148 million for repairing classrooms, meeting earthquake safety requirements, and teacher retainment, also failed, with 50.59% of Brea residents voting "no" and 49.1% voting "yes." According to Superintendent Brinda Leon, who spoke at the Aug. 15 bond committee meeting, the district attributed the 2016 defeat to the lack of a comprehensive facility masterplan.

In 2020, a $123 million proposal through Measure G faced a 53.99% "no" vote. According to Leon, the vote was impacted by the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, BOUSD revised its approach, presenting an updated facility assessments and detailed masterplans for Brea Junior High School and Brea Olinda High School, respectively.

Proposition 2 and Measure H: What’s the Difference?

A 2024 election booklet that details the various ballot items up for vote on Nov. 5. (Lauren Ko)

Eligible voting-age citizens received two ballots in the mail -- one for the general election and one for the county election. Each are school funding-based initiatives that request voter approval for governments to borrow money for school facility improvements. While similar in purpose, the mechanism for acquiring that money looks different.

Proposition 2 is a statewide bond that proposes to divert $10 billion in state general obligation bonds for the repair, upgrade, and construction of facilities at K-12 public schools and community colleges, with funding proportionate to need-level of schools across California. The state will access money from the "General Fund" – the primary source of state expenses for education, healthcare, and public safety -- meaning it will not introduce new taxes or raise existing ones.

In contrast, Measure H is a local bond measure specific to BOUSD which seeks to raise $160 million by means of increased property taxes. If approved, homeowners residing in zones where students attend BOUSD schools will pay $39 per $100,000 of their property’s assessed value. Residents can estimate their home’s assessed value and cost using a Measure H Estimated Cost Calculator at the bottom of the site’s page.

While different, the two ballot measures work hand-in-hand, as districts must have matching local funds to qualify them for access to the statewide bond money. In Brea, that means BOUSD can only access the Proposition 2 state funds if it approves Measure H, which provides local funds but also unlocks the additional state resources and pool of money.

If approved, all Measure H funds will remain local and exclusive to BOUSD schools, meaning the state will not be able to take or control the way any money is spent.

Measure H Opposition

A “No on H” sign at a home in Brea. Opponents of Measure H are concerned about increased property taxes for Brea home owners. (Siena Codekas)

Passage of the bond will result in increased taxes for Brea home owners at a $39 per $100,000 assessed property value scale.

In a Facebook post by Brea developer Dwight Manley (‘84), posted on Oct. 11, replies stating opposition to the bond primarily center on concerns about the increased taxation.

Brea resident Sandra Rivera Eggleton noted that the bond "will increase property taxes and seems like way too much money."

Another poster, John von Wolzogen, expressed, "Our taxes are high enough already. If the govt can’t do its job with the current taxes we pay, then the problem isn’t a lack of tax revenue."

"Unfortunately I think the problem lies in the fact that most Brea residents don’t trust that the funds will be used for good," poster Amy Bales Rodriguez wrote. "I think they see it as another cash grab."

Accountability

A flyer from BOUSD advertising a request for membership on the Citizens Oversight Committee (COC), a group that will independently ensure all bond funds are being used as stated in the bond documents. (Courtesy of BOUSD)

At an Oct. 10 school board meeting, Champion and Ferrato delivered an hour-long presentation introducing and outlining the responsibilities and requirements for membership on the Citizens Oversight Committee (COC), the group that will independently ensure all bond funds are being used as stated in the bond documents.

The COC will comprise at least seven members representing a diverse group of community groups: the group is required to have at least one representative from a business organization, a seniors’ citizen organization, a taxpayer association, a parent of a BOUSD student, and a member of a school site council or Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

The presenters emphasized that no BOUSD employees may be allowed membership in the COC to ensure that no bond proceeds are used towards employee salaries or benefits.

Like the successful 1999 bond measure, the district will provide an expenditure summary outlining the uses of the funds obtained through the community’s taxes, and the bond will undergo yearly audits by an independent certified public accountant to verify the bond funds are used properly.

Voters may cast their ballots at any Orange County Vote Center location, mail in their ballots, or drop them off at designated drop-off boxes, with the nearest roundabout at the Brea Civic and Cultural Center and the walk-in Brea Sports Park.

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About the Contributor

Lauren Ko, Editor-in-Chief

Wildcat Editor-in-Chief, Lauren Ko, senior, is eager to inform the community and collaborate with the Wildcat's writers and artists. Outside of class, Lauren serves as co-captain of the Mock Trial team, producer of the annual TEDxBrea event, president of the National Honor Society, co- president of the BOHS Red Cross Chapter and Chair of the Orange County Red Cross Youth Advisory Council, and student board member of the Brea Olinda Unified School District. She currently enjoys engaging with leaders from across the globe through the International Humanitarian Law Youth Action Campaign and spends hours reading about high-profile criminal cases, even if she finds them unsettling. To ease her mind, she enjoys listening to nostalgic pop hits while browsing Pinterest. Expect to catch her in a few years settling in New York City where she’ll too often be exploring and window-shopping, always with an iced matcha latte in hand.

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Matt Nethers • Oct 24, 2024 at 5:26 pm

This is by far the best summary and analysis of Measure H that I’ve ever read. Great job Lauren!


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