Dear Neighbors, Cabrillo College serves a vital role in our community providing high quality, affordable college education and job training to local students, veterans, and foster youth. The cost of attending a public university in California has increased dramatically. As a result, more local students are choosing Cabrillo College for an affordable education, on their way to a four-year degree. Our community college provides excellent training that prepares students to successfully transfer to UC and CSU schools and prepare for high demand careers. However, many of our 1960 s buildings, classrooms and equipment are outdated. We need to upgrade our outdated technology, classrooms, labs and facilities so that we can continue to offer the high caliber of education our students deserve. On March 7, 2016, the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to place an $310 million local education bond measure on the June 2016 ballot to make repairs and upgrades to the College in order to continue to prepare students for jobs and to transfer to four-year universities. If adopted by voters, this measure will address College facilities needs relating to:! Repairing deteriorating gas, electrical, and sewer line systems! Improving water conservation efforts! Improving handicapped accessibility! Upgrading and enlarging classrooms/labs for science, technology, engineering, arts and math-related fields! Upgrading technology infrastructure for classroom instruction and online education Please see below for additional information on the bond measure, including a link to the full text of the measure and the accompanying Draft Project List. Sincerely, Dr. Laurel Jones Superintendent/President Cabrillo College
Official Ballot Question CABRILLO COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY, JOB TRAINING, CLASSROOM REPAIR MEASURE. To repair/upgrade classrooms to better prepare students, veterans, workers for good jobs/university transfer by upgrading aging classrooms, technology/science labs, repairing outdated, deteriorating wiring, sewer lines, improving campus safety, handicapped accessibility, increasing water conservation/energy efficiency, and acquiring, constructing, repairing sites/facilities/equipment, shall Cabrillo Community College District issue $310,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, no funding administrators salaries/pensions, requiring independent audits, and all funds used locally? YES NO Click below to view the official bond resolution, full text of the measure, and the Draft Project List. http://goo.gl/x39ov2 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Measure Q What is Measure Q? A: Measure Q is a $310 million education bond to make repairs, renovations and upgrades to Cabrillo College in order to continue to provide students an affordable education and prepare them for jobs and university transfer. Q: What is the actual question that voters will be asked to decide in the June election? A: The Measure Q ballot question reads as follows: CABRILLO COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY, JOB TRAINING, CLASSROOM REPAIR MEASURE. To repair/ upgrade classrooms to better prepare students, veterans, workers for good jobs/ university transfer by upgrading aging classrooms, technology/ science labs, repairing outdated, deteriorating wiring, sewer lines, improving campus safety, handicapped accessibility,
increasing water conservation/ energy efficiency, and acquiring, constructing, repairing sites/ facilities/ equipment, shall Cabrillo Community College District issue $310,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, no funding administrators salaries/ pensions, requiring independent audits, and all funds used locally? Q: Will Measure Q help Cabrillo continue to successfully prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities? A: Yes. Cabrillo College provides excellent training that prepares students to successfully transfer to four-year colleges and universities such as UC Santa Cruz and CSU Monterey Bay to complete their Bachelor s degrees. It is ranked #1 in transfers to UC Santa Cruz and #2 in transfers to CSU Monterey Bay. Cabrillo also has an 80% transfer rate to UCLA for its honors scholars and a 90% transfer rate to UC Berkeley. However, many of our buildings, classrooms and equipment are deteriorating and outdated. If enacted by voters, Measure Q will upgrade our outdated technology, classrooms and science labs, so that Cabrillo can continue to offer the high caliber of education our students need. Q: Can Measure Q address quality job training? A: Yes. Cabrillo College provides essential job training and workforce preparation for students of all income levels, veterans, foster youth, and local residents. In 2015, graduates of our Career Technical Education programs experienced a 33% increase in hourly wages in their first year. Measure Q will be used to upgrade and repair classrooms, labs and facilities to provide students with up-to-date technology and expand access to training programs that help them learn new skills and find better paying jobs in business, technology, nursing and other high demand careers. Q: What Technology needs at Cabrillo College can Measure Q address? A: Currently many STEM classes have been impacted by increased student demand, and with our current facilities limitations we are not able to meet the need for these vital transfer and career courses. Cabrillo College classrooms and labs need to be upgraded so students have access to the technology that will help them excel in our twenty-first century economy. As written, Measure Q will upgrade classroom technology, science labs, and computer labs, as well as improve electrical systems and wiring for computers and wireless internet access, to ensure our students are prepared for good jobs.
Q: How can Measure Q address the needs of Military Veterans? A: Cabrillo College continues to serve military veterans, many of whom have recently returned from war zones and face challenges including posttraumatic stress disorder and permanent disability. We need to upgrade and expand veterans services and job training facilities so returning Service Members receive the support they need to complete their education and enter the civilian workforce. Q: How much would Measure Q cost and what are the financial implications? A: Measure Q, the Cabrillo College Technology, Job Training, Classroom Repair Measure is a $310 million education bond. If approved by voters, it would cost property owners approximately $23/year per $100,000 of assessed not market valuation, and includes accountability requirements such as annual financial and performance audits, spending limits that require approval and oversight by Cabrillo s elected Board of Trustees, and oversight by an independent Citizens Bond Oversight Committee. Cabrillo College has refinanced previous general obligation bonds and taken advantage of historically low interest rates saving property owners millions in taxes. Continuing its prudent fiscal oversight and planning, on April 11 th, the Board of Trustees approved another refinancing, which is expected to save property owners an additional $7.2 million. Q: How did the District come to the decision to place Measure Q on the ballot? A: The decision to place a bond on the ballot for voter consideration was completed after significant study and engagement. The College identifies facilities needs through multiple planning processes, with short term planning done through the Facilities Master Plan process, and long-range planning primarily done through the Cabrillo Facilities Planning Committee, which is a shared governance body made up of Cabrillo College Instructors, Staff, Students and Administrators that has been in place for over 15 years. The Committee is tasked with strategic, long-term planning for College facilities, including remodeling, renovation, or other space modifications which would require additional funding beyond existing resources. Over the last two and a half years, the Facilities Planning Committee has been evaluating Cabrillo s long-term facilities needs, including reports which detail the total cost of ownership for facilities, and appropriate
space utilization, as suggested in the 2015 Facilities Master Plan update (page 13). While overall facilities needs total more than the Measure Q bond amount of $310 million, the Facilities Planning Committee prioritized the needs and determined that $310 million would allow the College to address the majority of the needed repairs and upgrades. The Facilities Planning Committee then took their recommendations for the $310 Million bond to the College Planning Council, the highest-level shared governance committee on campus, comprised of Instructors, Staff, Students and Administrators, where the recommendation received unanimous approval. Finally, on March 7, 2016 the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to place Measure Q on the June 2016 ballot. Q: What is the Project list for Measure Q? A: A list of projects for Measure Q has been identified by the Cabrillo College Facilities Planning Committee through their enhanced, long- term planning process. The project list submitted to the voters for Measure Q includes: Replace outdated electrical wiring. Repair deteriorating gas, electrical, water and sewer lines. Make campus buildings more energy efficient. Improve water conservation efforts. Update campus facilities to improve handicapped accessibility. Repair to the aging plumbing system to prevent flooding and water damage. Upgrade career and vocational classrooms to better prepare students and workers for good-paying jobs. Upgrade facilities which prepare students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Provide or upgrade facilities for student support services, such as tutoring and career counseling. Upgrade classrooms and labs for science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields. Upgrade technology infrastructure for classroom instruction. Improve and maintain culinary arts, and other career education program facilities. Improve technology to support online education. Create a one-stop veterans center to provide them with support programs and educational resources. The full project list and other official ballot documents can be found here: http://www.votescount.com/portals/16/jun16/resolution%20cabrillo.pdf
An estimated cost per project list can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/20yearbondprojectcostestimates Q: Is there anything that Measure Q would be prohibited from funding? A: Yes. By law, faculty and administrator salaries and regular maintenance cannot be paid for using Measure Q bond funds. From the County Counsel s Impartial Analysis of Measure Q: The money raised through the sale of the bonds may only be used by the District for the purposes stated in the ballot materials and not for any other purpose, such as faculty or administrator salaries of other college ongoing operating expenses. To ensure that the bond monies are expended for the approved purposes, the Board of Trustees of the District will cause an annual independent performance audit to be conducted, and the appointment of a Citizens Oversight Committee The full impartial analysis can be found here: http://www.votescount.com/portals/16/jun16/cabrillo%20impartial.pdf Q: Can State Education Bonds or Prop 30 monies fund needed repairs at Cabrillo College? A: Community Colleges are legally required to contribute matching funds in order to qualify for State Proposition 1D funding. Funds generated from Measure Q would be utilized to provide these legally-required matching funds. Proposition 30 funds cannot legally be utilized for bond projects. Q: What are the implications for Cabrillo College if Measure Q does not pass? A: Essential repairs to existing classrooms, facilities and technology will not be made. The quality of our instruction will suffer without modern technology, infrastructure and STEM labs. This will have both long and short term implications, including the lack of space in STEM classes for interested students, which could lead to a continued decline in Cabrillo s enrollment. There are currently no alternate funding mechanisms available to address these needs.
Q: When is the election? A: Election Day is June 7, 2016. The last day to register to vote is May 23 rd. To register online visit: RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Q: How can I get more information? A: For more information, visit. If you have specific questions, please email bondinfo@cabrillo.edu. For a link to the updated community presentation, click below. http://tinyurl.com/communitypresentation-3-15-16