With the passage of the Measure T construction bond last fall, the Santa Maria-Bonita School District is seeking people to serve on a committee to ensure the funds are spent properly.
The district will accept applications through 4 p.m. March 13.
The state requires districts to create a Citizens Oversight Committee to review the construction process and ensure the bond funds are spent correctly.
According to state guidelines, the Citizens Oversight Committee must include:
» At least one person who is active in a business organization representing the Santa Maria business community,
» One person active in a senior citizens’ organization and one person who is an active member of a taxpayer organization,
» A parent or guardian of a SMBSD student,
» A parent or guardian of a SMBSD student who is active in a parent-teacher organization,
» Two at-large community members.
“The committee is responsible for keeping the public informed about the expenditure of the bond money and its appropriateness. The committee also ensures that the money is spent only on the construction, rehabilitation, furnishing and equipping of school facilities,” district officials said. “The members of the committee will also review efforts by the district to save money on the construction projects.”
District officials said ideal candidates for the committee would have experience in construction, architectural design, public financing, contract law, building program management or project management, but that is not required.
The Santa Maria-Bonita district sought the $45 million bond to get funding to build a new school plus make much-needed improvements to the existing 19 campuses.
The application can be found online by clicking here. Only completed applications will be considered.
The board of education will appoint members to the committee. Members will not be compensated for serving on the committee.
The Citizens Oversight Committee will meet at least once per quarter and members serve for two years.
District employees and vendors are prohibited from sitting on the oversight committee.
Applications can be printed out or picked up at the front desk of the district office at 708 S. Miller St. Completed forms must be returned by the 4 p.m. March 13 deadline to Paula Elkins via fax at 805.928.7874, by email at PElkins@smbsd.net or by mail at 708 S. Miller St., Santa Maria, CA 93454.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.