When the election results were certified, it became clear that Beaumont Unified School District’s $148 million bond measure had failed to get the necessary votes to pass. But, the district is hoping that will change after a recount.
“The decision to proceed with a recount was carefully made by the superintendent and the cabinet members after receiving legal counsel,” Thomas Guzowski, public information officer for the district, said in an email to The Riverside Record. “The leaders felt it was absolutely essential to proceed given how much is at stake for children’s education.”
In order to pass, the measure needed approval from 55% of those who voted in the election, 13,632 votes. According to the certified results, the measure received 13,165, or 53.12%, of the vote.
“We’re really just looking to assure that there’s complete, absolute confidence in the outcome,” Guzowski said in an interview with The Record. “The current results are really, really close, so we’re actually only 1.9% short of having the super majority [needed] for bond measures.”
Elizabeth Florer, public information officer for the Riverside County Registrar of Voters (ROV) said the recount was estimated to cost $10,302 per day with the recount expected to take four or five days to complete, bringing the total to roughly $51,510 if it takes the full five days.
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“It’s going to [be paid for] from the general fund,” Guzowski said, noting that the district has the money to cover the full cost of the recount without impacting critical spending.
Sergio San Martin, chief business official, said the district’s general fund budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year is $227 million. Which means that even if the recount takes the full five days, it would only make up roughly 0.02% of the general fund, and could result in the district having access to much-needed funding for facilities projects.
“The district was seeking $148 million and that is to support a lot of different issues, including overcrowding, leaking roofs, aging plumbing, aging portables, so there’s really a lot of money on the line,” Guzowski said. “If the results don’t change, those things aren’t going to just go away, so there’s a lot at stake.”
Ahead of the election, San Martin told The Record that Measure E was necessary for the district to continue to be able to address its current facility needs while also planning for future growth.
“Beaumont Unified School District is one of the fastest growing school districts in California, especially in Riverside County,” he said. “So as we continue to grow in enrollment, and we’ve actually doubled in size in the last 15 years, we need to add capacity to our classrooms.”
The recount is set to start tomorrow and will continue until completed, though Florer said recounts are not conducted on the weekends. Daily results of the recount will be posted here on the ROV’s website.
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