By Amy Balagna Posted October 22, 2008
When you walk into school do you see the many wonderful qualities, the libraries, the qualified staff, or do you see the deteriorating foundations and the broken windows? Our schools are old and in desperate need of some serious improvements. At each school in Humboldt Count School District (HCSD) there are millions of dollars of improvements that need to be made.
Roofs need to be repaired and floors and ceilings need to be entirely replaced. In addition, recent technology has placed a significant strain on the twentieth-century wiring of older schools in the district. These are only a few of the problems that plague the schools. Unfortunately, the renovations needed to correct these problems are expensive. This is where a bond like HC-1 comes in as it is specifically set aside to improve the physical condition of Humboldt County schools.
A percentage of tax money will go directly to help pay for these needed projects. An existing bond voted into effect with the original purpose of building Grass Valley Elementary School, will be continued by HC-1.
“A rollover bond is merely an extension of a tax rate that is already in place,” explained Superintendent Mike Bumgartner. The HC-1 bond will continue a tax, not raise existing taxes.
In fact, even without a bond, “The school district is mandated by law to repair certain conditions in school throughout the district by 2010. These repairs have to take place whether the bond passes or not,” said Mary Keith, president of the Humboldt County Education Association.
Since HCSD must make the improvements with or without a bond, the money will likely come from a new tax or come from the district’s operating budget.
These improvements needed in Humboldt Country School District are not trivial, they are crucial to the well-being and safety of current and future students and educational staff. Without HC-1, our community’s schools will further deteriorate, causing an uncomfortable, and possibly dangerous learning environment, for Humboldt County’s youth.
