Two Santa Maria Valley school districts will ask voters this fall to raise property taxes to fund upgrades to existing campuses and build new schools.

Boards for both Santa Maria-Bonita School District and the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District voted Wednesday to place bond measures on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Wednesday morning, the SMJUHSD board unanimously agreed to ask voters to approve a $194 million bond measure.

“I do believe that this bond will reduce overcrowding for our schools, which I believe is extremely important for the quality of education that we’re going to offer our students,” Board President Diana Perez said. 

While a prior bond measure had been pitched as a way to add a fourth comprehensive high school, a change in plans led to development of the career/technical education center.

Future growth in the Santa Maria Valley will make a fourth high school vital for future students, she added.

“I hope that the voters will agree,” Perez said. “This is for the students. It’s really for them and for the future of Santa Maria.”

The board’s action occurred after a report from a consultant, who surveyed voters about support and priorities earlier this year. The high school district also sent out a flier to voters recently.

“The purpose of that is to educate and inform the public about the needs that exist and the facility improvements that a bond measure would fund,” said Charles Heath from Team CivX.

The measure would add $24 per each $100,000 assessed valuation to property taxes. This means, for a single-family home with an assessed value to $400,000, the high school district measure would add $96 to the yearly tax bill. 

The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District College/Career Preparation Measure would ask, “To provide up-to-date classrooms/labs/career training facilities that prepare students for college and in-demand careers in science, engineering, technology, skilled trades; make student safety/school security improvements; replace aging portables; and construct school facilities to relieve overcrowding, shall Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s measure authorizing $194,000,000 in bonds, at legal rates, be adopted, levying approximately $24/$100,000 assessed valuation ($13,000,000 annually) while bonds are outstanding, with independent oversight/audits/all funds controlled locally?”

The high school district encompasses the cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe along with a large swath of unincorporated area including Orcutt, Guadalupe, Los Alamos, Sisquoc, Garey, Casmalia and Tepusquet Canyon. 

Hours later Wednesday, the Santa Maria-Bonita board approved moving forward with a $77 million bond request that has been discussed for the past seven months and involved sending at least two glossy fliers to voters in that time.

As a member of the facilities committee for Santa Maria-Bonita, board member John Hollinshead said the projects proposed to be completed with the bond proceeds are “desperately needed” to set up students and teachers for success. 

“It’s kind of a no-brainer at this point,” he said. 

Board member Linda Cordero agreed and noted the district has completed its due diligence to determine needs. 

“I know it’s a big ask, but if our community wants to see our students be successful and continue to thrive we must meet their needs with clean, safe, modernized school buildings that provide them with appropriate spaces to learn and play,” Cordero added. 

The measure would add $30 per each $100,000 assessed valuation to property taxes. This means, for a single-family home with an assessed value to $400,000, the Santa Maria-Bonita measure would add $120 to the yearly tax bill. 

Santa Maria-Bonita’s proposal, despite being a smaller overall request, would increase property tax bills more than the high school district’s due to the smaller number of parcels compared to the sprawling high school district.

Specifically, the district will ask, “To repair, modernize, and construct elementary/junior high school classrooms, science labs, and facilities that reduce overcrowding and support student achievement in science, technology, reading, writing, arts, and math; improve school safety/security; and fix deteriorating roofs, plumbing, electrical, infrastructure, shall Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s measure authorizing $77,000,000 in bonds, at legal rates, be adopted, levying approximately $30 per $100,000 assessed value (averaging $5,700,000 annually) while bonds are outstanding, with citizen oversight, independent audits, and all money locally controlled?”

The Santa Maria-Bonita district includes most of Santa Maria city minus some southern neighborhoods.

The districts are expected to create independent campaign committees to advocate for the bond measures. While district resources can’t be used for the campaign, volunteers and off-duty employees can advocate for passage of the measures. 

Both measures would need 55% voter approval to pass, and if they get approval the districts will form citizen oversight committees to monitor spending of the bond funds. The money remains restricted for projects and can’t be used for staff compensation.