Sonoma Valley schools see many improvements funded by bonds

Comfy couches in fetching shades of green, one of the school’s colors, and a brand-new paint job will greet students this week entering the Sonoma Valley High School library – just a few of the changes at district schools over the summer paid for by two school bonds.

As the 2018 school year begins, new furniture and lots of new construction are in place at various schools in the district. The furniture and the construction over the summer were paid for by Measure H, a $40 million bond that passed in 2010, and Measure E, a $120 million bond that passed in 2016.

Residents of the Sonoma Valley who own homes are paying $83.50 per $100,000 of assessed value annually on their property taxes for a total of three school bonds. This breaks down to $42.50 for the bond that passed in 2016, $29 for the 1994 bond and $12 for the bond that passed in 2010. Payments are based on the assessed value of the properties, not the market value.

“The high school library upgrade has been rethought and came in at $400,000 for replacement furniture, carpet and paint – quite different from the $1.5 million original estimate,” said Bruce Abbott, associate superintendent of business services for the school district.

The library upgrade was funded by Measure H.

“It’s similar to what we did at Dunbar (Elementary School),” said Abbott. Dunbar got all-new furniture and, though the bills haven’t come in yet, Abbott estimated the cost at around $700,000. The furniture was funded by Measure E.

Dunbar principal Jillian Beall said, “We are thrilled to introduce our Dunbar scholars and staff to the new 21st century learning furniture.”

The “21st century” reference is to the fact that, as in the workplace, students are being encouraged to work in teams. The new chairs and tables have wheels, so students can move closer together to collaborate on projects.

“One of the exciting pieces is the dual-purpose mobile bookshelf that has a whiteboard on the back,” Beall said. “The bookshelves can be used as part of a classroom library while serving as a tool for student learning and collaboration.”

In addition to the new furniture, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at Dunbar were replaced at a cost of around $1 million, funded by Measure H.

The high school’s roof and HVAC system were also replaced, at a cost of approximately $3 million. The roof and HVAC system were replaced at Sassarini Elementary for about $1.8 million, and Altimira Middle School’s HVAC system was replaced for around $2 million, Abbott said. All three projects were funded by Measure H.

The high school’s agriculture farm got a lot of preliminary work, with underground utilities and roadway paving, as an early phase of projects to be completed in the future. The cost of the summer’s work was around $1 million, Abbott said. This was also funded by Measure H.

“The farm is actually off Larkin Street, and they reconfigured the entrance,” said Danny Aschwanden, an agriculture instructor at the high school.

“There will be a roadway that goes all the way through the school farm and into the open field to the north of the farm that will be paved with a turnaround for livestock trailers,” which will make it easier to load steers onto trailers, as well as for delivery of hay and other supplies, he said. The roadway hasn’t been built yet.

All the figures the associate superintendent supplied for the various summer projects were preliminary; spending over the summer came to about $10 million, Abbott said.

Email Janis at janis.mara@sonomanews.com.