The district encompasses an older, lower-income area of town, which means it can't raise as much in bond sales for a new school as the other two districts. And the smaller homes in the Greenfield district don't generate much in builders' fees. That money can only be spent on expanding or building new schools. And, while builder fees can contribute to school construction costs, they never were intended to pay for new schools entirely. Sixty-five percent of the builder fee goes to elementary school districts, with the remaining 35 percent going to the high school district.
Districts have to make up the rest, either through state funding or by passing local bonds.
That amount would pay for one-tenth of a new elementary school. Homes rising in Panama-Buena Vista's and Rosedale's boundaries are usually bigger and generate more money. Tom Carosella is the developer for Kern River Ranch, which consists of 265 acres west of Buena Vista Road and south of Stockdale Highway in the Panama-Buena Vista district. Carosella anticipates homes ranging from 1,400 to 5,000 square feet. And Ronald Reagan Elementary School is a testament to what can be done with that amount.