The Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) is trying to persuade voters to approve a $160 million bond measure to renovate the aging school buildings.
If voters agree, the annual fee to property owners would be added to a previous bond until it’s paid off in 2032, and then they’ll continue paying for Measure M until 2062.
Most concerning to parents is their children’s day-to-day health while they are in school. When the LUSD sent out a questionnaire to poll district parents concerning their priorities, they indicated that the elimination of lead and asbestos was a concern.
Friable, or easily crumbled asbestos, if present, is a reason for concern.
When I questioned the LUSD concerning the presence of asbestos contamination the reply was:
“Every three years, the asbestos in LUSD facilities is re-inspected by an AHERA-accredited inspector. The accredited inspector visually re-inspects and re-assesses the condition of all known or assumed friable asbestos-containing materials and visually inspects previously considered nonfriable asbestos-containing materials to determine if they have become friable.”
This process has been ongoing since the mid 1980s and there is a current Asbestos Management Plan that indicates: “Air sampling for asbestos is completed only when the District has a planned or accidental disturbance of asbestos, such as during and after floor tile abatement projects, and when hot water pipes wrapped with asbestos must be replaced.”
Lead was another concern. Lead, in a solid state, is usually present in older drinking water systems and in paint applied before 2010. The LUSD tested water systems and painted surfaces, and for the presence of lead in the air.
The result of tests was: “some showed small amounts of lead that were below the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level of 15 parts per billion.”
So, with immediate health concerns being well-managed, that leaves the physical condition of the school buildings.
Almost all LUSD schools were constructed in the mid-to-late 1960s. When any level of government builds infrastructure to serve a need, they seem to think it will last forever with very little maintenance.
Currently the LUSD only allocates 1 percent of its budget for facility upgrades, thus a public bond is being requested to modernize these buildings and bring them up to current building and safety code requirements.
Asked how LUSD would manage a project of this size, the district said: “Several discussions and ‘white board’-type exercises/conversations regarding how construction is handled at school sites have happened, and staff is prepared to handle this thoughtfully and efficiently.
“For example, minimizing the movement of students, and the expenses related to student movement are top priorities.”
They also indicated that, optimistically, it would take a minimum of 10 years to complete all upgrades.
In November voters will have two school bond proposals on the ballot, one is the LUSD measure and the other state Proposition 2.
The LUSD says, “The Public Education Facilities Bond Measure, Proposition 2, if passed in November, alongside LUSD’s Measure M, could mean an additional approximately $50 million to LUSD, for a total of $210 million. If Measure M does not pass, other districts that pass bond measures would receive this Proposition 2 money.”
So, it appears there would be no renovations if the LUSD measure were to fail.
Instead of amortizing repair/replacement costs, district administrators of the past simply waited until a multi-million-dollar bond was needed to address the derelict buildings.
The funding level for LUSD in 2024-25 is $151,932,070; only 1 percent ($1.5 million) is allocated for facility upgrades. If this allocation were changed to 5 percent, LUSD would have $285 million by 2062 to spend on facility upgrades without asking for additional taxes.
Next consider how much of this bond money would be awarded to local contractors and remain in Lompoc.
Very little, because these projects are subject to Project Labor Agreements and only union contractors can qualify for an award. Therefore, it will be contractors and workers from out of the area who will receive the money we pay for the bond.
Measure M2024 school bond: the choice is yours.
