Pleasanton Unified moves forward with considering possible bond measure for November ballot

The Pleasanton school board has agreed to advance to the next phase of pursuing a potential bond measure this November, which could align with funding the district’s Facilities Master Plan aimed to help renovate older buildings and modernize classrooms.

During a special meeting last week, the Board of Trustees approved 5-0 a contract with bond consulting firm Clifford Moss LLC for $91,000 — money intended to be used to inform community members about how the new facilities bond could support students by aligning with the district master plan to address needs pointed out by school communities.

However, during the May 19 meeting, several factors were brought up that could pose challenges for getting a bond passed at the ballot box.

“There is a path to passing a bond here, it is challenging. Both those things can be true at the same time,” said Curtis Below, chief operating officer of FM3 Research, a public policy-oriented opinion research company. “It is not a slam dunk; it is also not a door-closed. It depends on the circumstances.”

There are a few key components to looking at a bond measure, according to Pleasanton Unified School District staff — updating a master plan, looking at financials and using a bond consultant firm to look at polling reports from the community. The school board has been in the midst of developing the Facilities Master Plan for the last six months.

During the same May 19 meeting, board members discussed data from the master plan advisory committee and developed priorities so the advisory committee could return on June 23 with a finalized plan draft for consideration.

The data consisted of feedback from students, teachers and staff from all the schools in the district on what needs to be repaired, improved or modernized. Trustees then provided their own recommendations by prioritizing needs that they saw as more important so that it could be included in a bond measure.

The consensus was that in general there needs to be more funding for gyms, restrooms and overall education facilities.

“We have world-class students … but we don’t have world-class facilities,” Board Vice President Steve Maher said of the gyms.

During public comment regarding the master plan, Sarah Baer who has two kids in Amador Valley High School, spoke on the gym.

“I have seen a lot of the issues at the gym,” Baer said. “It’s obviously old, the floor is slippery, there are leaks in the ceiling and a hornets nest in the corner.”

But in order to fully fund the master plan, the district would need to pay $983 million, which is where the bond measure comes into play.

In 2016, voters passed a $270 million general obligation bond, Measure I1, addressing facility needs, safety and building modernizations, but that only makes up one-third of the rest of the facility improvements. Another $323 million bond, Measure M, failed by 2.6% in the March 2020 primary election.

To add to the consideration, what parents and school board members identified as issues were not always the same as voters. During the meeting, Below explained how in their poll of 475 interviews, people have the urge to help school but they have doubts in the back of their mind.

Below and his team discovered that 75% of respondents, who were randomly chosen by location, believe there is little to no need for funding or facilities funding, which he said shows the need for the district to better communicate its facilities needs.

They also found that the majority of respondents do not believe the district has a great need for facilities funding given that they are still using money from the previous bond measure in 2016.

In terms of finalizing the final ballot statement for the bond, in the voters’ minds a lot of the things wanted in the master plan like gyms and the performing arts didn’t poll as high, so the researchers said there needs to be a balance of what the voters would support and what the district found through its master plan committee so that the passing threshold of 55% votes is met.

“You educators know that there is what the district knows it needs, there’s what the voters say they’re willing to support,” said Amanda Clifford, principal at Clifford Moss. “It’s kind of finding that sweet spot.”

Board President Mark Miller was doubtful at first on the need to fund the bond consultants because of what happened in 2020 with Measure M.

But Ahmad Sheikholeslami, assistant superintendent of business services, attempted to assure Miller that they have a story to tell based on the master plan data and the voter data and that with this outreach help, they can get the bond passed.

“We have really strong constituents in our community who are willing to help get us across the finish line, to make those communications with the right communities in Pleasanton that are going to be the key voters,” Sheikholeslami said.

While the five publicly elected board members voted in favor of the bond consultant contract, Student Board Member Saachi Bhayani — whose vote is ceremonial in function — opposed the proposal.

With a finalized master plan due on June 23, the school board could move forward with developing bond language and a resolution to be potentially approved by July 14. A dollar amount for the possible bond measure is also among the points still to be decided.