Menifee Union Seeking $205M In Bonds With Measure R

This November, voters in the Menifee Union School District will be asked whether or not to approve Measure R, a $205 million bond package that will be used to address continued growth in the district.

“We are one of the few districts in the state, it’s a little bit more common in Riverside, but in the state to be actually growing very quickly,” Marc Bommarito, assistant superintendent of Business Services, said. “And so our bond need is truly around building schools first, and then second is improving upon our existing schools by modernizing them to current standards.”

Bommarito said the specific project list for this proposed bond includes three new elementary schools, one middle school as well as upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units as well as addressing some plumbing issues elsewhere in the district.

Prior to heading out for bond, the district conducted polling with voters and found there was a “decent level” of support for the measure, though Bommarito said there is often confusion about why school districts have to go out for bonds for these capital improvement projects.

“The state of California does not provide a direct funding source for school districts to be able to do school construction, and at the same time, has probably the most rigorous and expensive regulations around school construction,” Bommarito said. “And so when you combine those regulations, that increase costs by about 35% to 40% and no funding directly provided for the state for construction, it creates the need for a funding mechanism like a general obligation bond.”

Despite this potential for confusion, Bommarito said he was still confident that the bond effort would be successful.

“With education, the bond should easily pass,” he said. “That’s the work, hopefully, of our outside group that will help educate folks to understand.”

Voters previously approved Measure Q in 2016, which provided the district with $135 million to purchase land, build two new elementary schools and one middle school, repair and renovate existing campuses and improve access for students with disabilities.

“We have all but depleted just the very last set of dollars of measure Q,” Bommarito said. “Those dollars have all been spoken for, and we’re wrapping up our last brand new elementary school, Sally Buselt Elementary School, which just opened, and really all that’s left is just paying the final bills and every penny of that will be closed out for that bond.”

When it comes to property taxes, the district is asking voters to approve a levy of up to $30 for every $100,000 in assessed value for all residential, commercial and industrial properties. Bommarito said the average property owner would see an increase of approximately $115 per year.

“We’re hopeful that they’ll see, for you know, the cost of a Big Mac each month, that we can build some pretty amazing facilities,” he said. “We have a track record of success in building these schools, and we would like to continue to build schools at that same degree of construction and not have to basically transition into just putting in portables onto existing sites and creating some true overcrowding on sites that weren’t meant for that many kids.”

He said now is the right time for this bond because the district is ready to move onto its next set of projects to address the population growth the district has experienced and continues to experience.

“We’ve laid out a list of additional schools that are needed across the community as we continue to grow, and we really do need those funds to continue building schools to the same level that we have in the last decade,” Bommarito said. “So we’re hopeful that they’ll see the success we’ve had with the last bond and support a new bond so we can continue that same progress for the future students of Menifee.”

Correction: A previous edition of this story misidentified Marc Bommarito, assistant superintendent of Business Services, as Director of Facilities Jim Sellers. The Record apologizes for this mistake.