The Central Unified School Board voted 5-1 on Tuesday to put a $109 bond measure on the November ballot, marking the first time that all four school districts serving portions of the city of Fresno will have bond measure elections simultaneously.

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The bond measures proposed for Fresno, Clovis, Sanger, and Central unified school districts total $1.184 billion.

Two of the four — Fresno Unified’s $500 million bond measure and Sanger Unified’s $175 million bond measure — will result in tax rate increases. Clovis Unified’s $400 million bond measure will maintain its current tax rate, as will Central Unified’s $109 million measure.

To pass, school bond measures need approval from 55% of voters.

Trustee Wanted Options Considered

On Tuesday, Central Unified trustees had considered a proposal by Board Clerk Nabil Kherfan to raise the bond measure to $126 million. The district’s consultants had surveyed district voters about their level of support for a $109 bond measure versus a $126 million bond measure. The resolution prepared for Tuesday’s meeting was for the $109 million amount.

“The reason I need to make this motion is because the board hadn’t indicated a preference yet,” Kherfan told his fellow trustees. “We were under the impression that we would be able to decide which of these two options … and we were not given that option. So that’s why I’m making this motion to clarify.”

But Kherfan’s motion failed on a 3-3 vote, with Kherfan, Board President Naindeep Singh Chann, and Phillip Cervantes voting in favor, and trustees Jeremy Mehling, Richard Solis, and Joshua Sellers voting against. Board Vice President Yesenia Carrillo was absent.

Solis then made a motion to approve the resolution for the $109 million bond measure, and all but Mehling voted to approve it.

A Penny, or More?

Kherfan noted after the vote that the difference between the $109 million and $126 million bond measures would have been a penny for each $100 of assessed valuation, and the amount raised could have modernized another school.

However, the district’s consultant noted that the more expensive bond measure would have increased the overall tax rate by $24 until a time in the future when earlier bonds reach retirement.

Property tax, which is the financing source for bond measures, is calculated by multiplying the tax rate against the property’s assessed valuation.

Central Unified now has the highest tax rate among school districts in Fresno County at $215.60 per $100,000 assessed valuation. Adding another $24 would have raised the tax rate to $239.60 per $100,000. For a home with an assessed value of $300,000, the tax would have increased from $646.80 to $718.80.

Fresno Unified’s tax rate will climb to $238.86 if voters approve the district’s new bond measure.