What is Measure PSD?

 

Voters in the Palmdale School District approved Measure "PSD" on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Measure "PSD", an $80 million bond measure, was put on the ballot to provide the children of the Palmdale School District with updated classrooms, labs and learning technology for the twenty-first century; repair leaky roofs and windows; improve school safety, security, energy and water efficiency; accommodate growing enrollment; and repair, construct, and acquire equipment for classrooms, sites, and facilities.

 

What specific improvements will the bond measures fund? 

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Repairing and modernizing District elementary and middle schools. Projects include, but are not limited to:

 

1. acquiring, replacing, and upgrading classrooms, labs, restrooms, common areas, grounds, and school support facilities

2. renovating, repairing, and modernizing portable classroom buildings or replacing them with modular buildings

3. upgrading and expanding athletic facilities and equipment

4. furnishing and equipping classrooms and other facilities

5. renovating facilities to bring them into compliance with local, State, and federal building, health, safety, access, seismic, and related requirements

6. replacing and upgrading hard surfaces, landscaping, lighting, fencing, playground equipment, and parking lots

7. replacing and upgrading fire and security systems, computer network infrastructure and equipment, and telecommunications systems

8. acquiring and installing technology equipment and software

 

Which schools will be renovated and how were they selected? 

 

On August 15, 2017, Palmdale School District approved and adopted a Student-Centric Facilities Master Plan (SCFMP) that will help provide the District with a roadmap for the creation of high performing educational environments that facilitate learning and teaching. 

 

The priority list of projects was developed through a comprehensive facilities assessment process, part of the overall SCFMP, where community and school site input was provided. This master plan is broken down between Phase 1 and Long-Term Projects. Phase 1 will be completed with the District’s available funds from Measure PSD and reflect the goals of the Board of Education to begin to achieve the Guiding Principals and follows the bond campaign concepts. Based on the combined assessment scores, all schools with a score below 50 points become a high priority. Seventeen schools fall below the 50 points, and those schools are:

 

Chaparral

Summerwind

Joshua Hills

Desert Rose

Palmdale Discovery Center

Yucca

Ocotillo

Manzanita

Tamarisk

Cactus

Tumbleweed

Palm Tree

Cimarron

Desert Willow

Mesquite

Sage Academy

 

How can taxpayers ensure that bond funds will be spent wisely and as specified?                                                 

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Laws governing Measure "PSD" indicate that the funds shall be used only for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or replacement of school facilities, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities, or the acquisition or lease of real property for school facilities, including, to the extent permitted by law, the acquisition or lease of real property in connection with an existing or future financing of the specific school facilities projects listed in the Bond Project List, including the prepayment of existing or future interim lease, certificate of participation or lease revenue bond financings, and not for any other purpose, including teacher and administrator salaries and other school operating expenses.

 

Also, an independent Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) comprised of local senior citizens, homeowners, parents, taxpayers, and others has been established to monitor and publicly report on the expenditure of the bond funds, ensuring they are appropriately and efficiently spent on facilities needs as specified in the bond language. 

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Why is the construction bond program important for the community? 

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While factors such as teachers and parental involvement have an indisputable impact on student achievement, it is important to have well-designed school facilities that integrally support such achievement. Further, school facility upgrades have a wide array of impacts district-wide and community-wide, including teacher job satisfaction and retention, increased residential property values, equity across communities, and reduced negative health issues arising from poorly maintained buildings.