Allan Hancock College to place $290 million bond for campus upgrades on November ballot

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Voters in Northern Santa Barbara County will have the opportunity to decide on a bond measure this coming November that is intended to fund a number of modernization projects at Allan Hancock College.

This week, the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move forward with a $290 local facilities funding measure.

With the approval, the bond measure is set to appear on the ballot during the upcoming Nov. 3, 2026 General Election.

"We recognize the importance of that and what it says, but if we really want to expand educational opportunities in North County, we have to be able to expand our facilities and upgrade some of the ones that we already have," said Allan Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin Walthers. "We think that this is the best kind of investment we can make in education in a way that will help our kids be able to get jobs in the community and be able to stay here."

According to the school, the bond measure is designed to fund a slew of upgrades, enhancements and additions to the both of its large campuses in Santa Maria and Lompoc.

In a release, specific projects the bond would facilitate includes, repairing and upgrading aging classrooms, laboratories and career training facilities; improving facilities that support instruction in science, math, nursing, welding, machining and skilled trades; repairing or replacing deteriorating roofs, plumbing and electrical systems; removing hazardous materials from older buildings; upgrading facilities to meet current health, safety, accessibility and technology standards.

Hancock emphasized the bond is especially needed to help fund the creation of new nursing classrooms and laboratories.

In addition, if the bond is successful, it would allow for the construction of a brand new university center the school said would create additional local four-year bachelor’s degree opportunities through partnerships with Cal Poly and California State University Channel Islands.

"We just had our first cohort that came from Hancock, took Cal Poly classes at Hancock, graduate from Cal Poly and that's a tremendous," said Walthers. "Next year, we'll have 75 students in that program. By 2030, we'll have about 400 students in that program and we just want to have space for it. We need we need to build more space. This community for decades has been asking for four year degrees, and we finally have a plan to do it, and if we make an investment in the future, we can really have a strong presence in North County for baccalaureate degrees that the community actually needs."

The Allan Hancock College boundaries includes Northern Santa Barbara County, and serves the communities of Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, Cuyama and the Santa Ynez Valley.

Voters in those areas will decide on outcome of the bond, which will need at least 55% of the vote in order to pass.

"We take these things seriously and our board has a meeting tomorrow morning and one of our agenda items is to discuss it," said Tom Widroe, Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association Executive Director. "Taxpayers associations generally are not reflexively anti-tax or anti-bond. It really depends. It's a case by case basis. Our concern about bond issues is always that it's well conceived, and if it's going to be spent on things that are needed, and that the oversight committee will be strong. Those kinds of things are put into consideration before we endorse a bond issue. We don't endorse candidates in elections for our bylaws, but we can support a bond issue, so tomorrow we'll get a sense of kind of where our board sits on this particular bond issue for Allan Hancock."

The last bond measure passed for Hancock College was Measure I in 2006, a $180 general facilities funding measure.

According to the school's website, Measure I transformed the school's facilities and technology, with $20 million spend towards technology improvements, as well $112 million that funded or partly funded nine major capital construction or renovation projects, which replaced the failing infrastructure of decades-old classrooms, labs and administrative spaces.  

Widroe suggested the community become familiar with the bond over the next few months so they are able to make an informed decision when it comes time to vote.

"Anytime someone is coming to you and ask for your resources, I think prudent homeowners and property owners would look at (the bond) in detail," said Widroe. "I think those who who don't own property also want to understand where is the community's money going? Why would it go to Allan Hancock? What does Allen Hancock do in our community? The thing I encourage folks to do is what is look at the value proposition that any school or any other would be recipient of a bond offers the community and if it's really good, then you're obviously you're more inclined to pay for it and keep it modern and functioning and safe, and if you see it otherwise, maybe you don't think it's a huge value, then you'll probably vote differently."

The college said the proposed projects are based on facility assessments and planning efforts, including its Facilities Master Plan

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