Tam Union schools might trim bond

Officials consider new try with smaller measure in November

Tamalpais Union High School District trustees asked staff this week to investigate which Measure A bond projects costs could be trimmed.

The measure, which had been set at $517 million, failed to get the required 55% of voter approval in March. Trustees said they wanted to see if engineers could come up with a lower total cost option through postponing or reworking nonessential items that they could present to voters in an upcoming poll.

The new polling, if authorized, would be in advance of a potential decision to retry the measure and place it on the Nov. 5 ballot. The deadline to place a measure on the ballot is Aug. 9.

“We want to see if you could look at ways of maybe putting off some things, but not touching our dire needs, such as ADA upgrades and replacing roofs,” board president Leslie Harlander told staff at the board meeting on Tuesday.

The federal Americans with Disabilities Act mandates access to public buildings for the disabled. Such access is currently lacking on some campuses, Harlander added.

“I'm sure that some voters have no idea that at Tam High, people can't get to the second floor if they are disabled,” Harlander added.

Board members also asked staff to work with Godbe Research Inc., the district's polling consultant, to reframe some of the boilerplate polling questions to be more specific to the needs of the district.

“We need to be more targeted,” trustee Cynthia Roenisch said. “Not just telling them that no money will go to the state and that we get to keep all dollars for local school projects.”