Erik Swanson, Superintendent, Folsom Cordova Unified School District

To our Folsom Cordova families, neighbors and partners in education: I want to share some news from our Board of Trustees, and to do it the way we try to do everything in this District, together with you. After weighing the data and listening closely to our community, the Board has decided not to place a school facilities bond measure on the November ballot. I’d like to walk you through how we arrived here, and where we go next, as partners.

This decision began with you. Over the past year, through two community surveys and many conversations across our neighborhoods, with parents and families and local leaders, we asked what you think of your schools and the challenges ahead. What you shared meant a great deal to us. Your confidence in this District has grown and that is something all of us who serve here hold dear. You also see the needs clearly: the aging spaces, increasing enrollment and the realities that come with being a thriving, in-demand community.

And we are thriving. Folsom Cordova is one of the five fastest-growing school Districts in California, a wonderful sign of how many families want to call our community home. That growth is something to celebrate, but it also brings real responsibilities. Over time, creating and modernizing enough space for all of our students will call for a bond measure. We know that day will come, and we look forward to meeting it together when the time is right.

So why not now? Because you told us something else, too. And we take it to heart. Many of our families are feeling the strain of today’s economy: the rising cost of gas, groceries and the everyday expenses of running a household. We hear you, and our aim is to walk alongside our families, not to add to that weight. Asking our community to take on a new financial commitment simply isn’t the right thing to do at this time, and choosing to wait is one way we honor the trust you’ve placed in us.

It may help to know that what we’re seeing here is not unique to Folsom Cordova. Across California, school bonds and other public funding measures are struggling to earn the support they need to pass. Families everywhere are navigating the same economic pressures, and communities across the state are weighing the same thoughtful questions of timing that we are.

I also want you to know that this pause does not mean our facilities work stops…far from it. Important projects are moving forward right now. In our School Facilities Improvement District (SFID) No. 4, exciting work funded by Measures R and S is underway, improving schools for the students who learn in them today. And I’m proud to share that we have fully and responsibly invested all of our Measure G funds; we have now received state reimbursement for those projects and are finalizing and closing them out. Through careful planning and leveraging grants, state reimbursement and developer fees, we were able invest $258 million into our SFID No. 5 schools.  

Our careful stewardship goes beyond how we build, extending to how we manage every dollar. This past year, the District refinanced existing bonds much as a family might refinance a mortgage at a lower interest rate, and in doing so saved our local taxpayers more than $16 million. That is real money kept in our community, and it reflects the disciplined, responsible financial management you should expect from your schools. We will keep advancing the priorities in our Facilities Comprehensive Plan with the resources we already have, while laying thoughtful groundwork for the future, because being ready for that next chapter begins with the responsible choices we make today.

I want to be clear about what this decision is, and what it isn’t. It is not the end of the conversation, and it is certainly not a step back. The needs in our schools are real, our enrollment keeps growing, and a bond measure will be part of our future. This is a pause, not a stop. In the years ahead, we will keep planning, keep engaging and keep working shoulder to shoulder with our community, so that when the time is right, we are ready, and we move forward together.

To everyone who shared your thoughts with us: thank you. Your honesty has made us a stronger and more responsive District. You told us you believe in our schools and that the timing has to be right and we heard you.

The future of our schools is something we build together as one District. We are grateful to be your partner in that work, and I look forward to all that lies ahead for Folsom Cordova Unified School District.