Voters approve only 2 of 6 Modesto area school bonds

School bonds got mixed reviews from area voters, with only two out of six in the region passing easily.

Two more clung to thin leads Wednesday evening and two managed a majority, but sat short of the 55 percent such bonds need to win in California.

In Merced County, it appears certain Delhi voters will give Delhi High a woodshop and El Capitan Elementary a multipurpose room. Delhi Unified's $8 million bond Measure E had 1,208 "yes" votes, or 71 percent, with all precincts in but thousands of absentee ballots from around the county still to count.

The Escalon bond was comfortably ahead. San Joaquin County's Measure B, raising $19.5 million to modernize Escalon Unified facilities, had 2,510 "yes" votes, or 63 percent.

The nail biters were measures for the Sonora Union High and Ripon Unified districts.

In San Joaquin County, Ripon's Measure G held 56.6 percent of the early vote. Its 3,297 votes gave it 90 to spare, said board member and bond campaign organizer Kit Oase on Wednesday.

But with 24,000 ballots still to count throughout San Joaquin County, Oase said it was too soon to know if the drive to raise $25.2 million to rebuild Colony Oak and Weston schools would succeed.

"We've got to wait and really see what the voters tell us," Oase said, adding that the county registrar of voters said it would be later this week before there would be a reasonably sure count.

In Tuolumne County, Measure J to raise $23 million to bring Sonora High up to code and upgrade other district buildings held a razor-thin lead, 6,843 votes, or 55.3 percent.

East of Sonora, the Summerville Union High district's $8 million Measure H was falling short with 1,712 "yes" votes, or 52 percent.

Back in Merced County, Weaver Union district's $9 million Measure G was just a sliver under, with 1,127 "yes" votes, or 54.3 percent.

This area's lukewarm reaction to school funding measures set it apart from the rest of the state, where 81 out of the 100 measures proposed passed, according to a report Wednesday by School Services of California.

Bee education reporter Nan Austin can be reached at naustin@modbee.com or (209) 578-2339, and on Twitter, @NanAustin.