FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

ABOUT SRJC’s PROPOSED GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND

Sonoma County Measure A

Marin County Measure E

Mendocino County Measure R

March 5, 2002 Ballot

Q. Why did SRJC decide to propose a bond measure?

A. There are many factors that are involved in SRJC’s decision to seek funding from a general obligation bond. Enrollment at the College continues to increase while state funding cannot accommodate that growth. At the same time, the college’s buildings and infrastructure are aging. Several challenges face the College today:

• Many of the buildings on the Santa Rosa campus were built in the 1930’s and are in need of repair.

• Classrooms and student services programs are housed in portable buildings and trailers that are over 25 years old.

• Plover Library on SRJC’s Santa Rosa campus was built to accommodate a student body one-third the college's current enrollment of 37,000 students.

• Classrooms and laboratories need to be built at SRJC’s Petaluma campus to meet its growing enrollment.

• Emergency lighting systems must be replaced, modern fire safety systems need to be installed, and seismic upgrades need to be completed.

• Electrical and wiring systems can’t accommodate today’s computer technology and Internet access needs.

• Science laboratories are outdated.

• Plumbing, drainage and heating systems must be replaced.

• Parking is needed at the Santa Rosa campus.

• Educational centers are needed in North County and West County.

Q. If SRJC already has beautiful campuses, why is a bond needed?

A. The bond funds aren’t designed to make the Santa Rosa and Petaluma campuses more beautiful, but instead will provide necessary upgrades, repairs, renovations, and expansions that allow SRJC to continue to provide excellent educational programs into the 21^st century. SRJC’s Santa Rosa campus is indeed one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. Some of the brick buildings on the Santa Rosa campus, however, were built in the 1930's and are in serious need of renovation and repair and require modernized heating and cooling systems for energy efficiency.

In addition, the Santa Rosa campus includes more than 16 ‘temporary’ portable buildings that are over 25 years old and need to be replaced with permanent facilities. Students and community members who visit the campus are aware of the inadequate parking facilities. Finally, Plover Library on the Santa Rosa campus was designed for a student body one-third its current size and must be replaced.

State funding has only allowed construction of the first phase of the beautiful adobe Petaluma campus. Both current and projected enrollment demands necessitate completing construction of this campus.

Q. What will the money be used for?

A. The bond money can be used only for projects that have been specifically identified by the SRJC Board of Trustees before the election. The projects include repair, renovation, modernization, new construction, health and safety improvements, energy efficiency improvements, land acquisition, wiring and technology. A detailed project list is available for review from the President's Office at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Q. How has SRJC paid for maintenance projects in the past? Why is a bond needed to support some of these projects?

A. Over the years SRJC’s maintenance staff has worked to maintain the College’s buildings and grounds by utilizing matching state funds through the state’s Deferred Maintenance Program. However, the renovations that are needed today cannot be addressed by SRJC’s ongoing maintenance program.

Q. Why is SRJC going for a bond now when there are other bond measures on the ballot?

A. SRJC’s Board of Trustees has explored seeking a general obligation bond for over two years. The cost of maintaining aging facilities, the need for more energy efficient and cost-effective heating and cooling systems, the necessity of keeping up with technological advancements, the demands from increasing enrollment, and the need to expand service to the outlying areas of the District have increased pressure on the college’s budget while funding from the state has not increased correspondingly.

SRJC’s Board has been consistently conservative fiscally and has applied a pay-as-you-go philosophy for capital projects. However, the magnitude of the work that needs to be done at SRJC can no longer be funded in this manner.

Q. How many times has SRJC requested a bond?

A. Historical records indicate that in 1938 voters approved $160,000 of ‘bonds’ to be sold to match a $250,000 federal grant from the Works Progress Administration, but we don’t believe this was a general obligation bond. We know of no other time a bond measure was requested from voters.

Q. Will the bond funds be used to improve services to District residents who don’t take classes at SRJC’s campuses?

A. The improvements on SRJC’s campuses will benefit all who use the facilities, whether they attend classes, cultural events, athletic events, or the hundreds of events held at the college that are sponsored by other organizations. In addition, the bond will provide funds for the College to develop educational centers in the northern and western portions of the District to increase direct services to those residents.

Q. Why is parking on the list of projects to be funded by the bond?

A. State funds are not available to fund parking lots or parking structures. Any funding that provides additional parking must come from the college’s general fund budget, which means less money for educational programs and services. SRJC currently charges the maximum parking fee allowed by law ($60 per semester), which is not enough to fund construction of additional parking facilities.

Q. What is the amount of the bond and how long will it last?

A. The bond will provide $251 million for specifically identified projects. The term of the bond is 30 years.

Q. How much will the bond cost the average taxpayer per year? What is the difference between a home’s assessed valuation and market value?

A. The bond will cost homeowners $25 per $100,000 of assessed valuation of their homes per year. Assessed valuation is not the market value of your home. Your home may have a market value of $300,000, but an assessed valuation of only $150,000. The median assessed valuation for a home within SRJC’s District is $162,000. Based on the median assessed valuation, the cost of the bond for the average homeowner in SRJC’s District will be approximately $40.50 per year.

Q. What percent of the voters must approve a bond for it to pass?

A. Under Proposition 39, a “yes” vote by 55 percent of those who vote in the election is required for the bond measure to pass.

Q. When is the election?

A. The election will be held Tuesday, March 5, 2002.

Q. Isn’t state funding available for SRJC’s list of needs?

A. The state allocates an average of only $150 million a year for capital outlay projects for community colleges statewide and already there’s an existing $2 billion backlog of state approved projects that are waiting for funding. No state funding is available for parking projects.

Q. Can the bond money be used for salaries?

A. No, the bond may not be used for any salaries or administrative overhead. It may only be used for the specific projects described in the project list that was approved by the SRJC Board of Trustees.

Q. What about other sources of state or lottery funding? Can't SRJC increase tuition or parking fees to help build facilities?

A. Lottery funds are already included in the college’s annual budget and support college operations. The law prohibits charging tuition. The College already charges the maximum parking fees allowed by law.

Q. Why can't enrollment increases be handled through greater use of the Internet rather than more buildings?

A. SRJC now offers more online courses than almost any other community college in the state and that number of courses increases each semester. Online courses, however, are not for everyone. There are many courses that cannot be taught well online, such as laboratory science courses, conversational language courses, and hands-on vocational training courses.

Q. What about private fundraising? Doesn't the College have a Foundation that could help raise funds?

A. The College does have an outstanding Foundation; however, most funds are earmarked specifically for student scholarships. While private contributions helped raise $2 million for the construction of the new William B. Race Health Sciences facility in 1999, the amount of money needed to fund various projects is $251 million, far beyond our private fundraising abilities.

Q. Can a private citizen buy some of the bonds?

A. Yes, although board members and certain administrative employees will be unable to do so due to conflict of interest issues.

Q. How do we know the bond money will be spent properly?

A. The law requires that an independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee review all related expenditures and that an audit be conducted and published by an independent agency each year.

We have attempted to answer the most frequently asked questions related to this bond measure. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, please send your question to bondquestions@santarosa.edu . This email address is maintained by the District for the purpose of providing fair and impartial information to the public about the possible impact of the general obligation bond.