School District May End Up With Surplus Measure C Funds

The Redondo Beach school district could find itself with leftover Measure C bond money after the district's construction projects are completed. That’s what Michael Christensen, who chairs the citizens’ bond oversight committee, told the Board of Education at a meeting Tuesday.

If surplus money is available, board members should develop a transparent process that involves public input in deciding what to do with those funds, Christensen said.

Christensen and district staff were careful not to say that surplus money from Measure C exists. “It does look like that may be a possibility,” Christensen said.

The amount of any leftover funds won't be known until constructions costs for three major projects are calculated. Those projects are the field house at Redondo Union High School; the Student Services Building at Jefferson Elementary School; and the Child Development Center at Lincoln Elementary School.

Christensen mentioned several things the board could do with any surplus funds, including not spending the money, moving the money to another project at that same school site, or making the funds available to the entire district.

The city's $145-million Measure C bond measure was passed in 2008 to fund classroom and school facility improvements throughout the Redondo Beach Unified School District.

The district cannot legally use any surplus Measure C money to offset a projected budget shortfall or use it on surplus property, such as the former Patterson Elementary School at 320 Knob Hill Ave., officials said.

“We are not suggesting what you need to do,” Christensen said. “But what we are suggesting is that you develop a way to do it. And do it in a transparent way in a public setting so that the voters of Redondo Beach would have an opportunity to come before you and voice their opinion.”

The board has already moved about $2 million left over from the new Redondo Union High School Aquatics Center project toward a new cafeteria. Janet Redella, the district’s chief business official, said moving Measure C bond money around is something that needs legal approval before the board can act.

Redella was also reluctant to forecast any surplus Measure C funds, saying, “I’m going to hold off saying we’ve got excess to allocate. We also have a significant number of shortfalls.”

Christensen said the passage of Measure C coincided with a tanking economy that drove down construction costs and bids.