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Kern County school campuses are facing issues integrating new learning environments with crumbling infrastructure. Bond Measures J through S aim to relieve some of those pressures through a property tax increase that will be put to a vote during the Nov. 8 elections.
The majority of Kern County voters will be asked if they are willing to support a bond for each level of education.
The cost of supporting all three could total close to $900 million depending on which school district the voter lives in.
It is important to remember that regardless of whether the taxpayer has children in the district every taxpayer will be expected to contribute if a bond measure is passed.
CSU Bakersfield sociology major and homeowner Kyle Lee, 25, was hesitant to the idea of paying a potential $200-plus yearly tax increase.
“I’m not sure if I want to be paying for all of these renovations to all these campuses,” said Lee. “If they all get passed, I’m looking at almost a $200 a year increase in my taxes. I feel that it is more important to renovate the K-12 schools, people pay to attend the college it should be self-sufficient.”
Bond measures work much like car loans or mortgages with exceptionally low-interest rates.
Money is distributed to the authorized entity, who uses it for a predetermined purpose.
Taxpayers pay off the loan over 25 years through a property tax increase. Homeowners will see the cost directly when their tax bill arrives in the mail at the end of the year; renters, however, will feel the impact more gradually likely through an increase in their monthly rent.
Of these measures, J is likely to hold the most importance to CSUB students. Measure J looks to provide $502.8 million in local funding to the Kern Community College District for necessary renovations to the campuses buildings and the continued development of job training and workforce preparation programs.
CSUB geology major Andrew Alexis, 21, said that bringing in needed funds to the KCCD might help community college students seeking to transfer.
“Funneling money into the dilapidated campus was an important step in the right direction for the community,” said Alexis. “They need to focus on making classes more available. There are people that spend four years working on an AA because they can’t get into the classes they need.”
Measure J has been endorsed by a number of local organizations including the Kern Taxpayers Association, the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce and Kern Agriculture Foundation.
