In a 6-1 vote at Wednesday night's meeting, Napa Valley Unified School District's board of education decided to move forward with a $183 million bond to build a new high school in American Canyon and fund safety improvements districtwide.

The bond "is intended to address already existing and projected overcrowding" in Napa's high schools, said Superintendent John Glaser.

The lone vote against the bond decision was trustee Linda La Forge.

"I do believe we need the bond, the amount is what I'm concerned about," she said.

The bond will fund projects including a new high school in American Canyon, updated classrooms at Napa and Vintage high schools, improving disabled access, expanding New Technology High School, improving seismic safety at the middle schools, renovating Memorial Stadium and upgrading security systems at all district campuses.

Board members all agreed that a new high school in American Canyon tops the priority list, citing to the safety issues for students who travel from American Canyon to Napa each day, and increased student-to-teacher ratio in overcrowded classrooms.

Simone Moultak, a parent of several Vintage High students, addressed the board during the meeting, stating that the overcrowded school has caused "serious issues." She noted that her children sometimes have to share desks with other students and that she believes the millions of dollars spent on transportation from American Canyon to Napa could be spent in more meaningful ways.

"I strongly feel this (bond) will be a good thing," Moultak said. "The level of education at larger schools is different than at smaller schools."

Moultak joined several other parents and concerned citizens who attended the meeting, many of them showing their support for the bond. Others questioned the district's use of funds in the past.

Among those in those who supported the bond was Ed Henderson, former Napa mayor and former county superintendent of schools.

"Public education is a foundation of our democracy ... and we need to prepare our students for the future by equalizing education," Henderson said. "Every individual student has to have equal education and we have to be concerned because overcrowding (obstructs this) ... you have no choice in this case, you have to go for a bond."

Not all believed the idea to go for a bond is wise, on the heels of a recent poll by Goodwin and Simon Strategic research that showed just enough, but no excess of support for a bond of this size.

Leon Brauning questioned the board, asking whether the request for additional funds is a result of poor financial practices.

"Is there some issue that you can't handle financially, so you keep coming to the voters for money?" he asked.

Brauning, who recently spearheaded the successful effort to defeat Measure H, the half-cent transportation tax increase on the June ballot, also was concerned with the price of a new high school, which is estimated at around $121 million.

Don Evans, administrator of general services and facilities for the NVUSD noted that since he began working with the district in the early '60s, campuses have been constructed with local funds. He also mentioned sky-rocketing construction costs, which he said have been raised due to Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq and China's consumption of construction materials and natural resources.

At the end of the nearly two-hour special meeting, board members were satisfied with their decision to move forward.

"I'm responsible for all 17,000 kids in this district, and I don't feel I'm doing my job if I don't promote this bond," trustee Frances Ortiz-Chavez said.