Authorizes the San José Unified School District to issue $1.15 billion in general obligation bonds over 30 years to fund school facilities projects and provide affordable housing for teachers and staff.
Measure R would increase local property tax rates at an estimated rate of $60 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually for an estimated 30 years to allow the San José Unified School District (SJUSD) to issue $1.15 billion in bonds to fund four categories of capital projects:
The SJUSD Board of Education would have sole discretion over decisions regarding the projects’ scope, function, timing, location, and prioritization. As required by state law, bond expenditures would be monitored by an independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, which reports directly to the public.
This measure would increase local property tax rates at an estimated rate of $60 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually while the bonds are outstanding, anticipated to end in 2055.
Like bond measures for SJUSD in 1997, 2002, and 2012, Measure R would provide local bond funding for San José’s largest school district, serving 25,677 students in 42 schools, to pay for projects that the district’s operating budget cannot support.
Measure R’s bond project list reflects a recent facility assessment, which estimated that bringing all facility components up to an adequate level within 10 years would cost $1.39 billion. School staff identified critical infrastructure needs at some school sites, including leaking roofs, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling) systems that cannot accommodate acutely hot weather, and facilities that do not meet current health and building safety codes.
The project list also reflects the results of a survey in four languages in which SJUSD asked registered voters to rank general project categories as high, medium, or low priorities. The survey’s more than 550 respondents indicated that upgrading classrooms, upgrading technology systems, repairing electrical systems, and updating safety systems were high priorities.
In addition to addressing facility needs, Measure R would address SJUSD recruitment and retention challenges in the high-cost Bay Area by using a portion of the bond revenue to construct affordable rental housing for staff. An assessment estimated the cost of building as many as 673 housing units on four underutilized district property sites at $650 million.
SJUSD has few alternatives to fund the ambitious project types described in Measure R. State funding for school facilities is severely depleted. A new state bond for school facilities, Proposition 2, is also on the ballot this November. If this $10 billion bond measure passes, SJUSD could leverage local bond funds as match funding and access a more significant share of state funding. If Proposition 2 fails, SJUSD would rely exclusively on local funds to support projects.
Measure R was placed on the ballot with unanimous approval from the SJUSD Board of Education. Under state law, school bonds like Measure R require a 55 percent vote to pass.
Because SJUSD has released no expenditure plan, it’s difficult to fully assess Measure R’s equity impacts. Nonetheless, SJUSD serves a diverse student body and many high-need students:
SJUSD is located in a region where many teachers and staff are priced out of the housing market. Although Measure R would allow SJUSD to provide affordable rental units only for its workforce, any housing development it afforded would increase the region’s overall housing supply, thereby supporting larger efforts to address the Bay Area’s housing crisis.
California’s schools are perpetually underfunded. Cost of living and quality of life shape school districts’ ability to hire and retain high-quality instructors. Measure R presents voters with an opportunity to invest in many projects to support students and teachers, from ensuring that neighborhood schools are modern and functional to providing affordable workforce housing that will help the district recruit and retain qualified teachers.
The measure does not yet provide a clear plan for how bond revenues will be spent. SPUR recommends that SJUSD develop and release more information about expenditures with equity considerations before the election to help voters understand how the proposed investment will benefit the district’s families. Although the information provided by the district on bond expenditures is inadequate, SPUR does not believe that the region’s schools should be permitted to deteriorate. San José students deserve safe, modern facilities to support their education and development, and SJUSD teachers deserve affordable housing and the opportunity to live in the communities that they serve.