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Schools

District Approves $18K Survey for Potential $200MM Bond Measure

The Mountain View-Whisman school district will spend to see how many residents would support a multi-million dollar bond measure.


The unanimously voted on Nov. 17 to conduct an $18,000 survey that will measure the level of support for a potential bond measure.

The measure could raise up to $200 million for the development of the Student Facilities Improvement Plan (SFIP), depending on the amount of local support the survey finds. Gene Bregman & Associates has been hired to conduct the survey. 

The plan, created in 2008, requires analysis of community demographics, current facilities and program needs. According to a 2010 report, the estimated cost for the implementation of the SFIP is nearly $423 million.  

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Charles Heath from TBWB Strategies, a political strategy and consulting firm that the district previously hired to help pass a parcel tax, presented the proposal. The details of the survey could not be disclosed, but it would involve making thousands of phone calls in order to obtain some 400 people for the 15-minute interviews, a sample size the firm feels is appropriate. One member of the community, however, felt that more residents should be interviewed to reduce the margin of error. 

The approved survey, which to take place through December, would learn from residents how much they would be willing to pay and what facility projects voters would support. 

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Details of the actual survey could not be disclosed to prevent bias from the board. 

Heath personally believes the bond measure has a good chance of passing, especially in a June election. "The impacts of the economy are not as evident in the Silicon Valley," he said.

A June ballot is more likely to succeed because voter turnout would be much lower than in November during the presidential election, giving the district a higher chance of mobilizing enough support. Several board members, including President Ellen Wheeler, agreed that a June election would be most opportune.

This is not the first survey related to SFIP; a survey conducted last year showed that residents would to support funding, though they prioritized safety projects, basic infrastructure and expanding their neighborhood school's capacity.

Awareness of the district's needs was low, something the board said it hopes to improve. 

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