Possibility of Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District bond election mentioned at trustee study session during facilities report

The possibility of a future bond election in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District was mentioned at an October study session dealing with the 34-campus district's current and future facilities projects.

The facilities report was presented by Joan Velasco, interim assistant superintendent of business services. A portion of her report noted the district's current bond debt and when the outstanding bonds will be retired.

Current bond debt stands at nearly $196 million, she reported, with some $17.7 million to be paid off from 2026 to 2028. Another $105 million will be retired from 2029 to 2034. Payoffs for the remaining $73.1 million debt will come in stages: $50.3 million by 2039; $689,000 by 2041; and $22.1 million by 2049.

A potential bond election was mentioned in a section of Velasco's report outlining "future funding considerations." She said, "The board may begin to consider the need to go for a future bond," adding, "In the last decade, an average of 59% of local school bonds passes in any given year."

Money gained from bond sales can be used only for capital projects and not for employee salaries or to support student programs. Bonds need a 55% majority vote to pass if the district creates a bond oversight committee to monitor bond spending.

District voters last approved bond sales with margins in excess of the required 55% in 2002 and 2008. The approvals resulted in the district receiving some matching funds from the state.

The$102 million Measure Y passed in 2002 with a 65.7% "yes" vote. Funds were used to modernize 22 schools, including 15 elementary, four middle and three high school campuses. Also, the bond sales helped fund four new campuses: Melrose and Lakeview elementary schools, Valadez Middle School and Yorba Linda High School.

Six years later, the $200 million Measue A passed with a 56.9% "yes" vote. Funds were used for projects of varying costs on all district sites, including facility refurbishments and technology updates. 

Interestingly, voters in Yorba Linda gave the measure a 52.5% "yes" vote, 573 votes less than the required 55%, and voters in the Fairlynn and Country Club county islands gave the measure a 54.7% "yes" vote, three votes shy of the required 55%.

The measure passed because of the "yes" tallies in Placentia and the small portions of three other cities in the district and other county territory: 60.2% in Placentia and 66% in Fullerton, 57% in Brea, 64.2% in Anaheim and 57.2% in other county territory.

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Yorba Linda was the only municipality in the seven-city circulation area of the North County News-Tribune to oppose the Proposition 50 redistricting measure on the Nov. 4 ballot. Voters in Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma and Placentia gave majority votes to the proposition.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified District trustees prepare for financial future amid funding losses

 Faced with declining enrollment and the loss of state funding, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees have taken several actions to secure the district’s financial future.

A report on enrollment trends presented at an October meeting highlighted the nature of the district’s loss of students over past years by focusing on census day enrollment, enrollment at the end of the school year and the number of students transferring out of the district compared to the number of students transferring into the district.

Statewide, “census day” is the first Wednesday in October when all districts report enrollment. Last year, the Placentia-Yorba Linda district’s census day enrollment was 22,698 students compared to this year’s number of 22,297. However, last year the district gained 148 students by the end of the year, and further gains are expected this year.

Also, the district has compared the number of students entering kindergarten each year to the number of students who graduated from 12^th grade. Last year, 1,164 students entered kindergarten and 1,798 students graduated from 12^th grade. This year, 1,310 entered kindergarten and 2,061 are expected to graduate from 12^th grade.

Notably, more students transferred out of the district than transferred in for the past few years, but the number of students who transferred into the district this year eclipsed the number who transferred out, perhaps due to increasing awareness of specialized academy, computer science and other programs.

More detailed enrollment analysis is expected at future meetings, including the type of programs that are pulling students into the district, how the district can retain students and where students who leave the district are going.

A couple of efforts at securing the district’s financial future include a budget stabilization plan and the development of a facility master plan The budget stabilization proposal was presented at a meeting earlier this year.

A final plan is expected before the next fiscal year’s budget is adopted. Officials noted, “Reductions presented may include tighter staffing at school sites, position reductions and non-personnel cost reductions … (and) the board projects the need for $15.6 million in budget reductions in 2026-27 in order to maintain fiscal solvency.”

The district also is working on a facility master plan that would be needed for the district to qualify for state bond money. The plan will include assessing current facilities, analyzing future needs and presenting a detailed budget for future projects.

A plan that could start saving cash as early as next year is a retirement incentive that would pay eligible employees 80% of their final year salary over a five-year period. The plan would be implemented if a sufficient number of employees signed on. The savings would come from not replacing some employees and hiring replacements lower on the salary schedule.