The fate of Madera’s next high school will be in the hands of county voters in November’s general election after a $70 million bond was authorized for the ballot by the Madera Unified School District board this week.
All in attendance Tuesday night agreed the district is in desperate need of a new facility as, within a predicted four years, Madera and Madera South high schools will fill to capacity and possibly force the district into scheduling nightmares.
“I used to live across from Madera High School when they were in double sessions in the mid 1990s,” board president Michael Salvador said of the last-ditch solution, which splits students into two groups that divide use of school facilities each day. “It was awful. That is not the proper learning environment for our kids. We need to pass this bond and get this high school built … we are already behind the curve.”
If the measure receives 55-percent approval from the public in November’s vote, it will allow the district to begin selling bonds, paid for by citizens through property tax increases…