Measure C is Paying Off

Measure C is Paying Off
What a difference a $100 million bond measure has made for our schools.

When voters approved Measure C in 2002 to renovate existing campuses and add new schools throughout the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, it ignited excitement and new pride in our community.

During the three-plus years since its passage, the bond money, combined with matching state dollars, has been spread around to district schools - some remodeled, others receiving new classrooms, remodeled labs and multi-purpose rooms.

Three district schools were replaced by newer campuses: Crescent Elementary, Green Valley Middle School and Crystal Middle School.

But perhaps the biggest thrill of passing the school bond will be the construction of new schools that serve growing neighborhoods. And that phase of the Measure C building program is about to begin.

Within the next few weeks, the district will formally break ground on two new elementary schools: Rolling Hills Elementary and Cordelia Hills Elementary. Rolling Hills will serve the growing northwestern edge of the district while Cordelia Hills will be built to serve the Cordelia area.

Groundbreaking for the Cordelia Hills project will be Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the site on Canyon Hills Drive. No firm date has been set for the Rolling Hills groundbreaking because of weather conditions. Grading has already begun on the Fieldcrest Avenue site.
With the addition of the two new schools, the district now must decide on some new attendance boundaries. The top priority will be an effort to balance enrollments so the schools will have between 700 and 750 students, large enough to offer a full slate of programs but not too large to cause overcrowding.

Without the passage of Measure C, it's hard to imagine how the district would handle the growth. Still on tap are the conversion of the David E. Weir district offices back to an elementary school and the construction of another elementary school in the Paradise Valley area.

It took about 30 years for the community to pass a school bond. No question, Measure C's approval was timely. As evidenced by the myriad projects during the last few years, the community has benefited greatly from the bond's bounty.