POWAY - Residents of Poway and the surrounding areas began seeing blue in their mailboxes, on their neighbors' lawns and even in car windows over the weekend.

The barrage of blue signs and fliers was delivered by a duo of Poway Unified School District parent volunteers to kick off the "Yes on Proposition C" campaign. The proposition - a $179 million bond measure that would pay for technology enhancements, security upgrades and modernization projects at 24 of Poway Unified's schools - will appear on the Feb. 5 primary ballot.

"In the next three days, people will know a lot about (Prop. C)," Lorene Joosten, campaign co-chairwoman, said Thursday while sitting at Prop. C headquarters - a three-room house converted into offices off Midland Road in Old Poway.

With the 28,000 blue mailers sent to registered voters' homes, the 2,500 blue lawn signs the volunteers planned to place in front yards, and the thousands of phone calls they plan to make in the month leading to the election, Joosten said the volunteers hope to create a buzz about the bond.

With three nights of phone banking under their belts, the campaign leaders said they had learned that just making people aware of the measure and the district's plans will be the biggest challenge.

Poway Unified trustees voted in November to place the bond measure on the ballot to raise money to complete a 24-school renovation and modernization project the district began in 2002. Bond funds would also allow Poway Unified to upgrade technology, campus security, disability access and resources in science laboratories and libraries.

Joosten said one of the most frequently asked questions she hears from homeowners is, "Didn't we just pass a bond measure for our school?"

Minutes after arriving at the campaign headquarters to make phone calls last week, Poway Unified parent Kay Kobliska raised the same question.

"OK, I'll be the stupid one," she said. "But I thought we already passed a bond for improvements."

Some nods and puzzled faces from about eight parent and teacher volunteers showed Kobliska wasn't alone. When asked if she felt the schools needed technology upgrades, Kobliska's answer was clear.

"Absolutely," she said. "They are just horrible."

According to two fall telephone surveys of likely voters, about two-thirds of those polled would agree. The latest survey - done in December by EMH Research, a Sacramento-based marketing research firm - found that 54 percent of 2,100 people asked would vote yes, while 11 percent were not sure but leaning toward supporting the bond. An additional 17 percent were undecided.

And the volunteers' $275,000 budget - only about $50,000 of which has been collected - and just a month till election day leaves them little resources or time.

At least 55 percent approval - or 25,314 yes votes - is needed for the $179 million bond extension to pass.

Joosten said taxpayers have grumbled about the lack of work to show for Prop. U, the $198 million construction bond passed in 2002. But no formal opposition to Prop. C has formed.

The local Libertarian Party filed an argument with the county's registrar of voters, opposing Prop. C on grounds that additional taxes are unnecessary. The party's ballot statement questions the need for such a large bond measure so soon after one was passed by voters and when no new schools are being built.

"Education is critically important," it says. "But paying additional taxes is not the answer."

On the other hand, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, Poway City Council members, the Poway Federation of Teachers and other groups have endorsed the bond.

The measure would delay the Prop. U pay-off period by 11 to 14 years but would not increase the maximum annual tax rate of $55 per $100,000 of assessed value.

The annual property tax tab would continue until 2044 for homeowners living within Poway Unified's boundaries who do not pay Mello-Roos taxes, which are similar to homeowners association fees and are paid by property owners within certain communities for specific services.

Projects that the district originally promised to complete with the Prop. U funds were scaled back last year from the original 24 schools to include just 13 because high construction costs and unexpected repairs ate up the district's funding.

"It would be really nice for students to have all the basics," said Sabrina Butler, a campaign co-chairwoman who has a first- and a fourth-grader at Valley Elementary School.

Valley is one of the campuses where construction projects were scaled back to save funds.

"I see firsthand every day what needs to be done," Butler said. "This is very important, without a doubt."

Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.