Facilities & Growth

Frequently Asked Questions About Measure R

Frequently Asked Questions About Measure R
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What is Measure R?

Measure R is a local $45,000,000 Education Bond placed on the November 8, 2022, ballot by the Plumas Lake Elementary School District Board of Trustees.

Why was Measure R placed on the ballot?

The District operates three schools that were designed as elementary schools. One of the elementary schools, Riverside Meadows Intermediate school serves as a middle school.

The number of students attending Plumas Lake’s local schools has increased nearly 40% in the past 10 years, filling up existing schools, and is projected to keep growing. This has created school and classroom overcrowding that will continue into the foreseeable future.

The District has determined that the construction of a new middle school will provide the best solution to address overcrowding while creating dedicated middle school facilities to best prepare students for high school, college, and future careers.

What are the priorities Measure R will address?

Prior to placing Measure R on the ballot, the District conducted a district-wide survey to solicit parent and community input. If approved, Measure R will address the community’s desire to provide quality learning environments, including spaces for science, technology, engineering, arts and math; and install up-to-date fire alarms and sprinklers.

Health and education experts say kids need physical education programs to stay out of trouble, focus, perform well in school, and prevent obesity. Middle school students need room for physical activity and education, which Riverside Meadows does not adequately provide as its original design was as an elementary school

Say more about teacher retention.

By constructing up-to-date classrooms that include access to current technology, the District will be better able to recruit and retain teachers during a time where we are suffering from a national teacher shortage, which disproportionately affects districts the size of ours.

Does Measure R include fiscal accountability requirements?

Yes. Measure R includes accountability requirements, including public disclosure of all spending, and independent annual financial and performance audits. All funds must be used for Plumas Lake

Elementary District school projects and not for other purposes. No funds can be used for administrator salaries and pensions, or taken by state or federal government.

Where would the new middle school be located and how would it be funded?

In 2012, PLESD purchased 25 acres of land on River Oaks Boulevard across from the fire station. Passage of Measure R would help secure state matching funds that would otherwise go to other school districts. Funding would come from the following sources:

Measure R Education Bond: 60%
New Development Funding: 20%
State Matching Grant: 20%

Doesn’t the STATE provide funding for school facilities?

Changes to the state funding formula mean districts like Plumas Lake Elementary District are still getting less money than neighboring school districts from the state on an annual basis. If the District is able to secure local funding through Measure R, it would then be eligible for future matching funds from the State. Measure R was placed on the ballot because the District cannot count on anyone else to address these educational needs and all of the challenges of overcrowding and lack of specialized facilities for middle school students

How much will Measure R cost to homeowners?

If approved, Measure R will levy an amount equal to approximately $60 per $100,000 of assessed (not market) valuation per year.

November 2022 Bond Measure

November 2022 Bond Measure
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On July 30, 2022, the Board of Trustees voted to place a Facilities Bond on the November 2022 ballot. The reason for this bond is to address our challenges of overcrowding and lack of a middle school for our middle school students.

Overcrowding

In recent years, new residential housing in Plumas Lake has taken off. After several years of approximately 100 homes built per year, the last three years have seen 890 new homes (224, 326 and 340, respectively).

With the construction of new homes comes a large increase in the number of students that PLESD serves. Last year, PLESD had 1404 students on the first day of school. We are projecting an increase of over 100 students this year, and the number is likely to grow.

At a cost of $5,000,000, PLESD added 8 classrooms to accommodate student growth at the two elementary schools. Four of the classrooms are modular classrooms and four are temporary portables that we hope to remove from the playground area when the next school is constructed. This short-term fix may provide adequate space through this year and next. However, we are at capacity and the number of portable classrooms that can be added is limited.

Lack of Middle School Facilities

Our current middle school, Riverside Meadows, was designed and constructed to operate as an elementary school. Our teachers and staff are doing an incredible job of providing a middle school education utilizing elementary school facilities. Educational opportunities are limited at Riverside Meadows:

The band and choir practice in a portable that was built as a preschool/kindergarten classroom complete with a kitchen area.
There is not a gym. Riverside Meadows sports teams play in a small cafeteria. It is very difficult for students and parents to attend games. Physical education is not available when the cafeteria is operating during nutritional periods.
Riverside Meadows has a single science lab that must be shared by 20 different class periods.
Riverside Meadows does not have a dedicated art room nor does it have an art room designed for middle school art education.
The computer science classroom functions in a classroom designed for kindergarten.
The physical education program takes place on an elementary school playground utilizing elementary and kindergarten playground equipment. There is not a track nor true athletic field. There are no locker rooms for both changing for P.E. or sports games.

Location of New Middle School

In 2012, PLESD purchased 25 acres of land on River Oaks Boulevard across from the fire department. At the same time, Wheatland High School District (PLESD is not allowed to operate a high school) purchased 50 adjacent acres while Olivehurst Public Utility District (OPUD) purchased 25 acres with the intention of creating a focal point for the community. Together, the agencies were able to acquire 100 acres of centrally located property for a middle school, high school, and community park with the intention of transforming Plumas Lake into a cohesive and well-conceived community for all residents.

Information on the Facilities Bond

To address the challenges of overcrowding, lack of middle school facilities and bringing a sense of community to Plumas Lake, the Plumas Lake Elementary School District Board of Trustees voted to place a Facilities Bond on the November 2022 ballot. The sole purpose of this bond is to construct a new middle school. Passage will require approval by 2/3 of the registered voters in the District.

The estimated cost of a new, comprehensive middle school is approximately $75 million. Funding will come from the following sources:

Facilities Bond: $45 million
Fees from new development: $15 million
Matching Grant from the State of California: $15 million

The bond will be repaid from a property tax averaging $60 per $100,000 of assessed value. The tax is not based on the current market value of your home. The average assessed value of a home in Plumas Lake in 2021-22 was approximately $333,000. Meaning, the average homeowner would pay approximately $200 per year.

The bond can not be used for operating costs such as administrative and teaching salaries and benefits. The bond will include accountability requirements such as an independent citizens’ oversight committee and audits to ensure that the bonds are used only for the construction of a new middle school.

Bond 75-word Statement:

“To maintain safe, quality education, resolve overcrowding challenges, and retain valued teachers by constructing a new middle school on pre-purchased land with facilities that properly educate middle school students in reading, science, technology, engineering, language arts, and math, shall the Plumas Lake Elementary School District issue $45,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, annually levying approximately $60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation, generating approximately $1,800,000 annually while bonds are outstanding, with strict accountability including audits and public spending disclosures?”

For full ballot language, arguements, and tax rate statement- https://www.yuba.org/departments/elections/current_election.php

Future Facilities

Future Facilities
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In 2012, Plumas Lake Elementary School District, Wheatland High School District, Yuba County, and OPUD worked together to purchase 100 acres of land in the middle of Plumas Lake. The plan is as Plumas Lake begins to once again grow, we will need additional facilities and the price was right to buy at the time. The organizations will split the land up as follows: 25 acres of land will be used to build a middle school, 50 acres will be used to build a high school, and 25 acres will be used for a community park.

We are proud of the teamwork that it took to make this happen and look forward to many positive years of working together in the future.