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College district approves big bond measure
Foothill-De Anza asks voters to approve $491 million for facilities upgrades

By Molly Tanenbaum

With its two new members settled in, the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees unanimously approved a hefty bond measure last week which will appear on the June 6 ballot.

The proposed $491 million bond, more than a year in the making -- and more than twice the size of the Measure E bond passed in 1999 for renovations at both community colleges -- would cover technology upgrades, additional renovations, and structural maintenance, like new roofs, with some funds set aside for the potential construction or acquisition of an additional site.

Foothill-De Anza would spend the bond over the next 15 years, and the funds could not be used for administrators' salaries.

Unlike Measure E, this bond measure needs only 55 percent of the vote to pass instead of two-thirds, due to a change in state law that occurred in 2000. In addition, also due to the state law, the district's board of trustees must appoint a citizens' oversight committee, as well as approve each bond-funded project and authorize the sale of each bond.

The measures are necessary in order to keep the district strong, according to board president Betsy Bechtel.

"State funding simply cannot meet all the facilities and equipment needs we face," she said, "particularly with increasing demand in a variety of critical fields such as nursing, and an influx of students expected in coming years."

The district estimates that the average homeowner would end up paying about $24 per $100,000 of assessed valuation, according to Mike Brandy, vice chancellor of business services for Foothill-De Anza.

Trustee Bruce Swenson -- who ran successfully for the board last November -- was hesitant about supporting such a large bond during his campaign, especially in light of the district's flat enrollment. But because the bond is for refurbishing existing structures that are in desperate need of a facelift, and not for adding new buildings at colleges with flat enrollment, Swenson believes the bond is appropriately sized.

"We were, frankly, rather appalled at the conditions of the facilities," Swenson said.

As part of the bond planning process, the trustees toured the campus to inspect various facilities, including many classrooms and a chemistry lab building that have not been updated since they were built in the 1960s.

"The students want a modern education, and they want their education in modern facilities," Swenson said. "The purpose of the bond is to bring the two institutions into the 21st century."

Part of upgrading the two community colleges involves keeping the district's 5,000 desktop computers on a four-year replacement cycle, Brandy said. That, combined with replacing microscopes and other technology, takes up $100 million of the proposed bond.

One project that didn't make it into the bond was a new building at NASA-Ames, which would have been part of a joint project with UC Santa Cruz and San Jose State University. However, $40 million of the bond measure has been set aside for a new, unidentified structure to be built in the future. If no feasible projects come forward, those bonds will not be sold, Brandy said.

The reason for putting this bond measure on the June 6 ballot instead of waiting until November?

"We're anxious to move ahead with the program," Swenson said. "Our needs are immediate and the board has done its homework."

E-mail Molly Tanenbaum at mtanenbaum