LAKEPORT, Calif. – Following voters' November approval of a bond measure to modernize Lakeport Unified School District's schools and facilities, the district's administration and board are now taking the next steps to begin the bond sales process so the work to create a 21st century learning environment for students can begin.

Voters approved the $17 million Measure T bond with a 65.9 percent yes vote, versus 34.1 percent of voters who opposed the measure, according to the Lake County Registrar of Voters.

In the tax rate statement to voters in the sample ballot booklet, Lakeport Unified Superintendent Erin Hagberg said that it was estimated that the highest tax rate to fund the bond issuance would be $59.87 per $100,000 per assessed value on properties in the school district.

The funds must be spent only on school improvements, not on administrator or teacher salaries.

In August, when the district board approved putting the bond on the fall ballot, its members also approved a lengthy list of projects as part of a districtwide modernization effort.

The proposed projects include improving student access to computers and modern technology, especially important now as students are doing Common Core testing on computers.

“We're going to try to create 21st century classrooms throughout the whole district,” Hagberg said.

Other projects on the list include replacing outdated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; upgrading outdated classrooms, restrooms and school facilities; renovating the Westshore Pool for school and community use; constructing a new library/media center at the Terrace Middle School; replacing temporary portables with permanent classrooms; constructing a food service dining area for high school students; upgrading and expanding telecommunications; making Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility upgrades; renovating playground equipment, play structures, and physical education fields and facilities; school site parking upgrades; and other general repairs to buildings, utilities and grounds, including health and safety improvements.

No other local school district has as extensive a bond measure effort in place, Hagberg said.

Measure T also is significantly larger than the district's last bond measure – passed in 2001 and totaling $7.5 million. That measure funded the Marge Alakszay Center multipurpose building, and repair and renovation of classrooms, among other projects.

Hagberg called the newest bond measure exciting, noting how impressed she has been with the community support.

“I just think it's going to make a tremendous difference for kids' education,” she said.

With the bond now approved, on Jan. 8 the Lakeport Unified School District Board certified the election results, Hagberg said.

At the board's Feb. 12 meeting, the district's bond consultant or bond attorney will give a presentation to the board on how the process ahead will work, Hagberg said. The board also will need to adopt a resolution at that time authorizing the sale of the bonds.

The district also is preparing to issue a request for proposals for an architect to work on the district's modernization projects.

Letters of application and statement of qualification are due in early February, with applicant evaluations and interviews anticipated to take place next month. Board approval of the selected firm and contract negotiations are expected to occur in March, according to the district's anticipated schedule.

Hagberg said the district wants to keep as much of the work local as it possibly can, and is selecting a number of architects to whom it will send the request for proposals.

The selection of the architect is important, as Hagberg said that individual will oversee the many projects to be carried out under the bond.

Hagberg will form a district facilities committee that will work with the architect to create a master plan for using the bond proceeds.

The district facilities committee will be comprised of school site principals; the director of maintenance, operations and transportation; classified managers, as appropriate (such as food service); staff; a consultant; and Hagberg herself, she said.

As the district addresses each of the many projects under the bond, it will pull in experts, stakeholders, county representatives and anyone else who has special knowledge or talents, Hagberg said. “There will be a lot of little subcommittees.”

In the case of the Westshore Pool – one of the projects listed – Hagberg said a member of the Channel Cats and a representative from the city of Lakeport, which has helped run the pool, would be included.

She said the district board wants to get community feedback on the projects list and the timeline for completing the tasks.

“The district facilities committee will be looking at those rankings to see what the community wants us to do,” she said, which then will lead to the search for a contractor, or contractors, for the specific projects.

Once the architect is hired, that individual will work with the committee to set timelines. Hagberg said the architect – who will know what projects must be addressed first based on the law – also will work with the Division of the State Architect, which must certify all school building projects.

Hagberg said the school district board's certification of the bond election on Jan. 8 began the clock on the requirement to establish a bond oversight committee within 60 days.

The seven-member committee will ensure all expenditures of projects and uses of bond revenues are in compliance with appropriate laws, Hagberg said. Each member must apply and be approved by the board.

In addition, Hagberg said the district will hire an auditor to ensure fiscal responsibility. She said there will be “many sets of eyes” on the money and how it's used.

The bond oversight committee's specific makeup is determined both by state education code and Lakeport Unified board policy, Hagberg said.

Different constituent groups – including a business representative, a taxpayer organization, senior citizen actively involved in a senior organization, a parent of a student attending a district school and a parent who is actively involved in an organization supporting the district – must be represented on the committee, the district reported.

Residents interested in serving as community-at-large members are also welcome to apply for a position on the committee, officials said.

Similar bond oversight committees report annually on the use of bond funds approved by voters in 2006 for the Mendocino Community College District and the Yuba Community College District for major building and modernization projects – including the building of Mendocino's Lake Center in Lakeport and the new buildings at the Yuba Clear Lake Campus.

Hagberg said Lakeport Unified already is taking applications from community members for bond oversight committee positions.

“We have had people express interest just as soon as the bond was passed,” she said.

The bond oversight committee meetings will be governed by the Brown Act, and therefore open to the public, so anyone can attend, Hagberg said.

“My intention is to keep the community informed throughout the process,” Hagberg said.

The district plans to have a page on its Web site, www.lakeport.k12.ca.us , devoted to the bond and the bond oversight committee, she said.

Community members wishing to volunteer for the bond oversight committee must submit applications by Feb. 2.

Applications for membership on the committee are available upon request by calling the district office at 707-262-3000 or by downloading the application from the Lakeport Unified School District Web site at http://www.lakeport.k12.ca.us .

Hagberg said the community showed faith in the district by approving the bond.

“We want to spend the monies wisely, for the best interest of the kids,” she said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.