CVUSD buys $70 million in bonds

Coachella Valley Unified School District bond measure money is not itemized on property tax bills, leaving some residents to wonder why the amount of their taxes that goes to the schools nearly doubled in some cases.

“I certainly would like to get to the bottom of the large increase,” said La Quinta homeowner Don Jeffers.

The doubling of taxes can be attributed to a double dose of bond measures. Measure X providing iPads to all students, will cost property owners $20 million dollars this year. Also, $50 million dollars in bonds for measure D were purchased.

“Those funds are going to relocate our transportation division off of the Coachella Valley High School Campus,” CVUSD Superintendent, Dr. Darryl S. Adams said. “And to rebuild a district education community support system that the community can use. And utilize a consolidation of all our offices which we feel will save money for the tax payers.”

Measure D was a $250 million dollar voter approved bond that passed in 2005, but not all of the bonds were purchased.

“We recently sold about $50 million dollars of that bond,” Adams said. “Again, to relocate the transportation division from the Coachella Valley High School campus to our present district office site. That was a very dangerous situation for our students. Not only the possibility of accidents, but also pollution and things of that nature. So those recently sold.”

With tax payers funding two major, multi-million dollar bond initiatives this year, what will happen to their tax payments to the district in future years?

“It’s not our goal to see that continue to rise, but to work on ways to decrease it,” Adams said. “We have refinance opportunities coming in the near future I feel , and I think that you’ll see some relief for that next year.”

The remaining $21 million dollars in the Measure X bond initiative will be assessed on property tax bills in 3-5 years, when the district refreshes the Mobile Learning Initiative with purchases of newer iPads.