The November 2018 election included voters in the Mountain Empire Unified School District approving Proposition JJ, which authorized the issuance of up to $15 million of general obligation bonds which will be financed by a property tax increase. Although the school district is responsible for issuing the bonds the involvement of the office of the county’s Treasurer-Tax Collector makes the issuance of bonds subject to San Diego County Board of Supervisors approval, and on April 30 the county supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the issuance of the first $6 million of the bonds.
The Mountain Empire Unified School District was founded in 1952 and encompasses approximately 660 square miles. It includes two elementary schools, two middle schools, a high school, an alternative school, and a transitional school for special education students ages 18 to 22. The total 2018-19 enrollment is 1,737 students and the district also has 111.9 full time equivalent certificated employees and 128.5 full time equivalent classified employees. The 2018-19 total assessed value of taxable property within the district boundaries is $1,479,707,149.
A measure to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds does not require the issuance of all of those bonds at the same time.
The approval on the school board’s behalf to issue the first series of bonds took place April 9.
