This June, voters will be a given the option to approve a new $490 million dollar bond measure. The bond, which was approved by the Board of Trustees last Tuesday, will be for equipment and facilities for the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.

The new bond will be nearly twice the amount of Measure E because the district now has the legal authority to purchase equipment with bond money. Measure E funds paid for construction of the Kirsch Center, the new parking structure and other buildings.

Local homeowners will pay less than 1/40th of 1 percent of the value of their homes to pay for the bond. This amounts to less than $10 monthly on an average priced home, according to the bond resolution.

The Board said that if Prop 39 does not pass, it will increase the pressure to tap the limited General Fund in order to pay for new facilities, equipment and renovation.

"The board agreed that it is critical to meet the district’s urgent facility and equipment needs and that the long-term financial planning represented by the bond proposal is the best way to ensure that the excellence and opportunity that we provide for our students continues," said Betsy Bechtel, the president of the Board of Trustees.

"State funding simply cannot meet all the facilities and equipment needs we face, particularly with increasing demand in a variety of critical fields such as nursing, and an influx of students expected in coming years."

The bond measure would upgrade, maintain and replace facilities, improve fire and earthquake safety and disabled access, reduce energy costs, and upgrade technology and equipment, said Board Chancellor Martha Kanter in an e-mail to District faculty and staff.