LTUSD bond gains steam

unedited nov mt news story


By Kathryn Reed

Even without the new school board being sworn in, Lake Tahoe Unified is gearing up for the June 2008 election. A multi-million dollar facilities bond is expected to go before voters then.
Charlie Feinstein with KNN Public Finance was in town last month to outline his firm’s game plan for the bond.
The board this month will vote to hire a polling firm to gauge the public’s interest in a bond and the financial threshold of property owners. An architecture firm will also be hired this month.
However, it’s not until February that the board is expected to formally vote on whether to go forward with the bond. These other steps are necessary precursors.
June was picked as an election date over February and November because the proposal is less likely to be weighed down by state and federal ballot items.
Each school site is expected to benefit from the bond if it passes. The bulk of the projects are likely to be at the high school and Bijou.
The district made the initial cut to receive $6 million in state grants for career technology at South Tahoe High. LTUSD will know in late February if it is a finalist. To get the funds it must come up with matching dollars. The district would be banking on voters to approve the June bond in order to have its $6 million.
Construction and automotive would be the trades being developed at the high school.