The Gilroy Unified School District is considering asking the voters to approve a general obligation bond to help pay for millions of dollars worth of upgrades, improvements and new construction on campuses and facilities in the coming years.
At the Jan. 15 meeting, the GUSD Board of Education voted 7-0 to hire Isom Advisors to explore the feasibility of a bond’s passage on an upcoming election ballot. The contract with Isom Advisors will cost the district $12,500.
A consulting services agreement approved by the board requires Isom to conduct detailed, scientific surveys of voters, testing public opinion for specific project support and tax tolerance. Isom also agrees to present the findings of the feasibility study to the GUSD board at a public meeting when their research is concluded.
The GUSD board also approved a new Facilities Master Plan at the Jan. 15 meeting. The plan details all the construction and capital improvement needs that are anticipated—both immediately and for the long-term—at the district’s eight elementary schools, three middle schools, four high schools and district office buildings.
In a presentation, district staff said based on the needs expressed in the Facilities Master Plan, GUSD needs between $700 and $900 million for long-term capital expenses.
Staff and board members did not specify how much they might ask for on a future ballot measure, but the surveys that will be conducted by Isom will explore the voters’ tolerance for different sums and ranges of borrowing.
District officials justified the need to consider going to the voters by pointing out that funding sources for needed capital improvements are increasingly scarce. The state of California currently allocates only about $332,000 per year to GUSD for “deferred maintenance,” district staff said.
During the past 20 years, the district has spent more than $622 million on facility projects within GUSD, with funds coming from various sources including bonds previously approved by the voters; state funds; developer fees; and deferred maintenance funds, GUSD staff said.
Voters have approved bond measures in past elections, including the $150 million Measure P in 2008 and the $170 million Measure E in 2016. The bond funds have been key for leveraging additional money from the state and other sources to complete capital and facilities projects, staff said.
Board members said the new Facilities Master Plan, with its details on future construction needs, will help drive any upcoming bond measure campaign.
District staff noted that if the board adopts a resolution to place a bond on the ballot, GUSD cannot spend any district funding on an election campaign supporting the measure.
