A second gym and other athletic support facilities, estimated to cost $35 million.

An all-weather track and artificial turf field, estimated to cost $10 million.

Those are two of the items Sunny Hills school officials put down on their wish list of campus improvement projects if 55% or more of voters in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District [FJUSHD] cast their ballots next month in favor of Measure L.

Commonly referred to as a bond measure, the proposal is one of nine similar ones Orange County school districts are seeking approval for; the state also has one called Proposition 2. Neighboring Buena Park and Fullerton school districts also have one, known as Measure M and Measure N.

“From what I understand, initial polling and survey results have been favorable with respect to passing all of the local bond measures despite there being multiple ones on this year’s ballot,” principal Craig Weinreich said, who plans to vote “Yes” on the proposal.

If approved, Measure L would allow the FJUHSD to issue bonds of up to $284 million – paid for through additional assessment taxes on property owners in the district. To put it on the Tuesday, Nov. 5, ballot, the FJUHSD board of trustees in a Tuesday, July 23, meeting had to vote to approve it.

MIXED REACTIONS AMONG STUDENT BODY

Athletic director Paul Jones said Sunny Hills will benefit the most from passage of Measure L because it’s the only campus in the FJUHSD that either doesn’t have two gyms or a football stadium. It’s also the only athletic facility that comprises natural grass instead of a turf field.

“Our facilities are not up to par,” Jones said. 

He said voters should also consider the stats on how many Sunny Hills athletes compete in sports compared with the others in the district.

“We also have the most athletic participation out of each of the schools in our district; we have over 1,000 students that participate in athletics,” Jones said.

Sophomore Josef Hudak said he hopes voters will keep these issues in mind.

“Being able to upgrade our school facilities — getting a track and a new gym and support spaces — will help us a lot in our training and development toward becoming more dominant athletes,” said Hudak, who competed in track and field in his freshman year and plans to do so again next semester. 

Senior Matthew Yoon, who isn’t old enough to register to vote for this year’s elections, disagrees with Hudak, saying passage of Measure L would add too much of a financial burden on homeowners.

“Because both my sister and I participate in extracurricular activities during and after school, the cost of buying sports equipment and required tools, sending donations and spending frequent money on gas for transportation are already pretty expensive,” Yoon said. “Passing the bond measure could put a lot of unnecessary stress and pressure on families and residents in the district who are already devoting a significant portion of their money to other expenses.”

HOW SCHOOL OFFICIALS ARE SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT FOR MEASURE L

Since the week of Monday, Oct. 7, “Yes on L” outdoor yard signs have been made available for instructors who live in the district to pick up from the North Orange County United Teachers office in Brea, teachers union officials said.

“I’m going to vote for it because it’ll help and support our schools, our students [and] our classrooms,” science teacher Kelly Kim said.