NAPA VALLEY, CA — Most Napa schools were built over 60 years ago and have never been modernized. Students learn in over 100 decaying portable classrooms, each over 25 years old and expensive to maintain. Science labs haven’t been upgraded in decades.
That’s according to a statement in favor of a measure the Napa Valley Unified School District has placed on the November ballot for Improvement District No. 1 in hopes of authorizing $230 million in bonds to fund safe, modern schools for all Napa students.
To pass, Measure B needs at least 55 percent of the vote. If that happens, NVUSD says it will upgrade aging classrooms, repair deteriorating roofs, plumbing and electrical; remove asbestos/hazardous materials; and modernize science, math, technology, engineering, career technical education/ skilled trades labs. See a list of exact projects starting on page 2 of the full text for Mearsure B.
Money raised by the sale of the bonds must be used exclusively to finance the list of projects described on page 2 of the full Measure B text. District officials noted that when developing the list, NVUSD was required by state law to evaluate safety, class size reduction, and information technology needs; however, the inclusion of a particular project on the list is not a guarantee it will be funded or completed.
By levying a property tax of $22 per $100,000 of assessed value while the bonds are outstanding, the district would average $24.7 million annually — money the state cannot take. There would be citizen oversight, annual audits and no funds for administrators, according to the district.
The final year the tax would be collected is the fiscal year 2061-2062, NVUSD Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti wrote in a tax statement about Measure B. The best estimate of the total debt service, including the principal and interest, that would be required to be repaid if all the bonds are issued and sold is approximately $508 million, Mucetti said.
In 2022, NVUSD Improvement District No. 1 voters rejected A1, a similar NVUSD bond measure for $200 million. In 2022, NVUSD Improvement District No. 2 voters approved a much smaller bond measure, A2, for $24 million.
Not everyone in Napa Valley is in favor of the ballot item.
“Are you willing to add a fourth NVUSD bond measure to your property tax? Without any organized opposition, voters rejected last year’s bond measure attempt, so here it is again with the same boilerplate language,” Mark Gasster and Thomas Orlando, president of the Napa County Taxpayers Association, wrote in an argument on the ballot. “We are currently paying for the 2002, 2006, 2016 bonds. As funds are exhausted, the local district continues to ask us to kick in for yet another round of taxes. This in no way will fund ongoing repairs and maintenance. School Board should use its authority to budget and perform maintenance rather than rely on expensive bonds to fix neglected maintenance.”
“A new solution is needed for all school districts statewide,” Orlando and Gasster wrote. “That is why Proposition 2 is also on the ballot. If passed, it will provide for school maintenance and repairs. Let’s not jump the gun and double-dip on taxation. It’s better to wait to see if Proposition 2 is passed and then determine the need.”
Supporters of Measure B contended that Prop 2 money would not eliminate the need for Measure B funds.
“In order for Napa Valley Unified School District schools to be eligible for state matching funds, Napa must pass bond Measure B. It’s the only way to access state matching funds. Our opponents protest all new measures, no matter how badly they’re needed. In California, local communities are responsible for their schools. Without local dollars, our schools will fall apart.”