KINGMAN – The Kingman Unified School District (KUSD) has retained political consultant Paul Ulan to help governing board members and staff contemplate pursuit of a multi-million dollar bond issue to fund the refurbishment and re-purposing of portions of the Palo Christi Elementary school campus downtown.

Ulan will work with staff to develop a survey to help measure community awareness, support or opposition to a bond issue that would require voter approval. He told members during their March 12 governing board meeting that the survey would involve more than five questions and that it would be conducted by telephone.

Ulan said it might take 15,000-20,000 call attempts to get completed surveys from at least 400 people. It is believed that the survey results will help the board decide if it will push forward and might help detail or shape any bond question brought to a vote.

Ulan said he has a good track record in the field with a 90% success rate in helping school districts gain voter approval of bond and budget override questions. He said communication, consistent information and some salesmanship are essential.

“When you look at 70%-plus of the people that voted in Nov., 2018 are over 50, taxes are going to be an issue,” Ulan said. “There’s no question about that, but the issue is, what am I getting in return for that.”

Board member Bruce Ricca, a strong advocate for returning Palo Christi to school district use, expressed concern about negative community feedback during initial consideration of a bond. He said it’s important to educate the public on the merits of any bond proposal that may become reality.

Board Chairman Charlie Lucero noted that some district staff members, parents and citizens already oppose a bond approach. And he noted the district and its governing board must be unified to shore up support.

Board member Jenny Shumway has expressed opposition. She said she thinks the school district can handle its space needs in other ways and that school districts should not be involved in preservation of historic buildings.

Ulan said the KUSD should make its bond decision by or before June to provide sufficient time for a concerted education and promotion campaign, and likely use of a Political Action Committee, in pursuit of ballot box approval in November. He said, at present, he recommends seeking voter approval this year rather than next year.

The district could save the cost of a special election if it piggybacked on matters that will be scheduled for special election in 2020. However, Ulan said a number of other money questions will cloud the 2020 ballot and that a proposal this November would enjoy a brighter spotlight and less distraction.

The District has also hired Stifel, an investment banking company that has started to crunch numbers for potential bond issues. Stifel Managing Director Michael LaVallee presented various tax impacts involving bond issue scenarios totaling $17-million, $20-million and $23-million.