The Morongo Unified School District Board of Trustees continued discussions at last night’s meeting on placing a $67 million general obligation bond on the upcoming November ballot. The proposed bond would increase Morongo Basin property taxes by $39-$45 per $100,000 of assessed property value to help fund the renovation and modernization of district schools. The board will make a final decision on the bond during the upcoming October 10 meeting. Reporter Andrew Dieleman has the details on the rest of the meeting…
At last night’s meeting, former MUSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Deborah Turner celebrated her final board meeting before retirement with a presentation to the board on the importance of leadership. The board of trustees wished Turner a happy retirement and gave her an emotional “thank you” for her 36 years of service to the school district.
The board also heard a presentation from two Yucca Mesa Elementary School students who thanked the board for the school and their teachers and briefly outlined some improvements they would like to see at the school, which included more hand-washing sinks and a grass field. The board then approved the new agreements reached with the Morongo Teachers’ Association and updated a district’s facilities agreement and the dual-enrollment program with Copper Mountain College. Lastly, the board concluded its review of student achievement plans, ending with Friendly Hills Elementary School, Onaga Elementary School, Oasis Elementary School, Joshua Tree Elementary School, and La Contenta Middle School. Recurring needs brought up during the presentations included increasing student proficiency in English language arts and mathematics as well as increasing student attendance rates, parental involvement, and student safety.
The bond would increase Morongo Basin property taxes by $39 to $45 per $100,000 of assessed property value, not per parcel. Based on median home prices, in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree, that would mean an average of $78 to $90 per home. The average cost per home in Twentynine Palms would be from $48.75 to $56.25.
