Voters in various areas of the county will weigh in on six school bonds on the Nov. 5 ballot. All require a 55% vote for approval.

They are:

• Measure D - Aromas-San Juan School District Bond: $44 million bond, with a levy of $54.72 to $60.00 per $100,000 of assessed property value per year.

• Measure L - Bonny Doon Elementary School District Bond: $7 million, with possible tax rates ranging from $29 to $30 per $100,000 of assessed property value per year, according to the district.

• Measure M - Pajaro Valley Unified School District Bond: $315 million with levies estimated at $60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

• Measure N - Live Oak School District Bond: $45 million, estimated tax rate to be levied at approximately $30 per $100,000 of assessed property value per year.

• Measure O - Scotts Valley School District Bond: $85 million, with an estimated tax rate of approximately $49 per $100,000 assessed value.

• Measure P - Soquel Elementary School District Bond: $73 million, with a $30 per $100,000 of assessed valuation tax rate.

We recommend a Yes vote on all six, although with one, Measure M for the PVUSD, it’s with some reluctance due to its overall size, the burden on local taxpayers already paying for previous bonds, and the fact that language in the measure is hazy on building teacher housing. Still, the need for upgrading facilities is real.

With another, Measure N for Live Oak, a measure intended mainly to build teacher housing (voters approved a bond for upgrading facilities last March), we hope the school district attaches conditions allowing senior services to remain at the present site or have dedicated space at another location.

So why are we supporting all these when we have been editorializing in many cases against bond measures that add to the tax burden faced by Santa Cruz County property owners? And recommending support at a time when K-12 enrollment is declining and many districts are having to consider closing schools? In addition, Proposition 2 on the ballot if approved will provide $8.5 billion in state bonds for construction and modernization of K-12 schools.

Here’s a few reasons:

• Although K–12 enrollment is declining, schools still need funds for modernization and construction. Many local schools are more than 25 years old and science labs, computers, playgrounds and athletic fields often need upgrading. Schools statewide have been projected to need about $117 billion for facilities and equipment improvements. School construction and maintenance are funded mostly by state and (mainly) local bonds.

• The number of local bonds proposed — as well as the passage rate — has been higher since 2000, when California voters passed Proposition 39 to lower the share of votes needed to pass local school bonds from two-thirds to 55%.

• Regarding Prop. 2, the state’s “first come, first served” approach tends to benefit wealthier school districts. Smaller, wealthier districts tend to have an advantage in securing school facilities funding: their higher property values generate more revenue for bonds and expenditures — and also for staff dedicated to applying for state funding. In the past, more state funding also has gone to districts in the Central Valley and in Southern California than to districts in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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With mail-in ballots already arriving to Santa Cruz County residents, we realize many voters are preparing to cast their vote on local and state measures, and candidates.

Since early August, the Sentinel Editorial Board has been rolling out recommendations on these local and state choices and, starting later this week, we’ll be providing a summary list of all these recommendations (and there’s a lot of them). If you use our digital editions, you’ll find links within these summaries to the full Editorials explaining our positions.

We’ll also continue to publish, electronically and in print, your letters regarding the election. The word limit for letters is 175. In addition, we’ll continue to run Guest Commentaries regarding election issues. If you’re planning to submit a Guest Commentary, the word limit is 650.