Planning for the 2014 G.O. Bond Election

1. Planning for the 2014 G.O. Bond Election Session #: CBO32 Date: Saturday, April 6 Time: 10:30 - 11:30 AM. These materials have been prepared for the CASBO CBO Professional Council. They have not been reviewed by State CASBO for approval, so therefore are not an official statement of CASBO.

2. Introduction • Ruth Alahydoian Vice President KNN Public Finance Ralahydoian@knninc.com • Beverly Heironimus Assistant Superintendent, Business Services Dublin Unified School District HeironimusBeverly@dublin.k12.ca.us

3. Why now? • 2014 is an election year (yes, already!) • Planning for a G.O. Bond is primarily the CBO’s responsibility. • Will also involve the Superintendent and the Facilities Department. • A successful bond measure requires laying the groundwork and building support. • The time to start planning is NOW!

4. Big Picture – What’s involved? Pull the Team Together Determine facilities needs Get community input, sensitivities Determine bond projects, bond amount and tax rates Involve the community in the campaign

5. The Schedule Note: Actual deadline will vary by county.

6. What type of bond measure? • Proposition 39 Election: • Requires 55% voter approval. • Maximum anticipate tax rate is constrained. • Must be held on a statewide primary, general or special election, or on a regularly scheduled local election date. • June 3, 2014 • November 4, 2014 • 2/3 Election: • Requires 66.67% voter approval. • No maximum tax rate restrictions. • Can be held on any Tuesday that is not within 45 days of a statewide election date. • Depending on whether other agencies have measures on the ballot, the District may have to shoulder the cost of an election on its own.

7. Pull the Team Together Facilities planners – needs assessment, etc. Facilities program manager Survey consultant / pollster Campaign /political consultant Financial advisor and/or underwriter Bond counsel

8. Determine Facilities Needs Enrollment projections; new housing developments Site by site analysis for modernization Technology needs Charter school needs Program-specific needs

9. Get Community Input • Community survey • Project specific feedback • Sensitivity to bond amounts and tax rates • Meet with school communities • Staff • Parents • Board discussions & workshops

10. Determine bond projects, bond amount and tax rates • Project list included in ballot is critical • Limits how/what/where bond funds can be spent • Creates expectations in the community • Bond amount is the most that can be issued • May be constrained by statutory debt limit • Will be issued in series over time • Projected tax rates are an estimate only • Rates are given as $dollars per $100,000 of assessed value. • Proposition 39 limits the rates to: • $60 per $100,000 for unified school districts • $30 per $100,000 for elementary and high school districts • $25 per $100,000 for community colleges

11. Bond Measure • Board must approve the measure at least 88 days before the election date. • Bond measure must include: • Bond amount • Project list, including school sites and projects anticipated at each site • Expected tax rate • Once Board approves resolution, campaign takes over – District resources cannot be used for advocacy.

12. Involve the Community in the Campaign BRIGHT LINE YOU CANNOT CROSS: School district resources cannot be spent on advocating for a bond measure Information versus advocacy Personal time versus District time Fundraising

13. Election Day • Victory! • County certifies election results. • Board certifies county results. • Oversight committee is established within 60 days. • Bond issuance process begins. • Close but not quite… • Don’t be discouraged… it’s happened to the best of us. • Review polling results and re-evaluate program – projects, amount, etc. to determine what worked, what didn’t.