Santa Barbara County Approves Selling of $25 Million Hope School District Bond

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved on March 1 the selling of $25 million in bonds for Santa Barbara Hope School District, the second series of the $47 million Measure J bond voted through in March 2020, meant to finance construction and modernization of school facilities. 

Superintendent of Hope School District Anna Hubbard said funds from the bond will modernize and improve aging facilities across the district’s three elementary schools: Hope, Monte Vista, and Vieja Valley. Many of the buildings in the district were constructed between the 1940s and 1960s. Some of the renovations this money will go toward include modernizing outdated classrooms, restrooms, and school facilities; replacing sewer systems; repairing or replacing outdated ventilation systems; and constructing new classrooms. 

The first series of the bond distribution was about $12 million. A major project during this series was constructing a new multipurpose room at Vieja Valley Elementary School, which is anticipated to be complete by May 2022. The district must spend at least 85 percent of the $12 million bond by 2023, though the district predicts all $47 million in proceeds will be spent by 2025. The Measure J bond levies approximately 3 cents per $100 assessed value, generating $2.8 million annually while they are outstanding. 

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