HB4033

THE CONTEXT: A school district governing board may, or on petition of 15% of the school district electors must, call an election to decide whether school district bonds should be issued and sold for specified capital purposes or to change the list of capital projects or the purposes authorized by a previous voter approval to issue bonds. The ballot for a bond election must include a statement that states the: 1) capital improvements proposed to be funded through the bond issuance are to exceed state standards and are in addition to state monies; 2) total amount of bonds the school district is proposing to issue to fund ca...

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would includes in the ballot for a school district bond election the following statement: Additional information and a description of each proposed capital improvement that will be funded through this bond issuance can be found in the informational pamphlet mailed by the school district, add that the informational pamphlet for a school district bond election must include: a; a complete list, and a description of the proposed cost, of each proposed capital improvement that will be funded with bond proceeds, including a separate aggregation of the capital improvements for administrative purposes as defined by SFOB; b; a description of each proposed improvement, categorized by one of the following: i; high school expansion and elementary school enhancements; ii; renovations, repairs and infrastructure upgrades; iii; pupil transportation and maintenance vehicles; or iv; transportation, maintenance and administrative facilities improvements; c; the specific projects the school district will undertake for each proposed improvement; and d; for each of the specified proposed improvement categories, the percentage of the category's total cost relative to the total bond proceeds, and require the list of each proposed capital improvement to detail the specific proposed capital improvements that will be funded with bond proceeds and include: a; a description of the improvement, including whether the bond proceeds will be used to acquire land, make improvements to the land, construct a new school facility, improve existing school facilities or pay for transportation costs; b; the anticipated cost of each improvement; and c; the location of each improvement.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to give the people who rely on the rule clearer information and a defined reporting process. It would includes in the ballot for a school district bond election the following statement: Additional information and a description of each proposed capital improvement that will be funded through this bond issuance can be found in the informational pamphlet mailed by the school district, and would also add that the informational pamphlet for a school district bond election must include: a. a complete list, and a description of the proposed cost, of each proposed capital improvement that will be funded with bond proceeds, including a separate aggregation of the capital improvements for administrative purposes as defined by SFOB; b. a description of each proposed improvement, categorized by one of the following: i. high school expansion and elementary school enhancements; ii. renovations, repairs and infrastructure upgrades; iii. pupil transportation and maintenance vehicles; or iv. transportation, maintenance and administrative facilities improvements; c. the specific projects the school district will undertake for each proposed improvement; and d. for each of the specified proposed improvement categories, the percentage of the category's total cost relative to the total bond proceeds, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.