The College of the Desert has issued the following press release:
The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee for the Desert Community College District approved its annual report on May 27, 2022, confirming that expenditures of voter-approved bond funds in fiscal year 2020-2021 met legal requirements. The report was then presented during the June 16, 2022 Board of Trustees meeting.
The Committee reviews and monitors the $924.3 million bond program to certify transparency and accountability, as required under California’s Proposition 39 of the Strict Accountability in Local School Construction Bonds Act.
“After careful review of financial reports, an independent audit, and project progress reports, we found that bond monies were accounted for and were not spent on salaries or operating expenses,” said Andrew L. Harker, chairman of the 2021-2022 Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.
Measure B, approved in 2004, and Measure CC, which passed in 2016, provide capital for District construction and campus renovations. Modern teaching and learning facilities that are accessible and safe are necessary for upholding the College’s commitment to quality and accessible education across the valley.
The College’s Superintendent/President, Martha Garcia, Ed.D., has remained faithful to prudent long-range facilities planning and finishing in-progress projects, the report notes.
The District has spent $428.8 million in bond funds to date to complete projects, including a Mecca/Thermal campus expansion and lab renovation, the Career and Workforce Solutions Center and a student kiosk at the Indio Center.
The bond report identifies the upcoming projects:
– A new athletics stadium and fields at the Palm Desert Campus;
– New Construction and expansion of instruction, student services and child development facilities at the Indio Center;
– Design and construction of Roadrunner Motors, an automotive technology training facility in Cathedral City;
– Design and construction of the Palm Springs Development Project, a new campus to replace the existing temporary campus in the City of Palm Springs.
“We are grateful to the residents of the Coachella Valley who approved the general obligation bonds that make this work possible, maintaining College of the Desert as one of the best community colleges in the state,” said District Board Chair Rubén AríAztlán Pérez.
The bond report is available online at collegeofthedesert.edu.
