PVUSD trustees table $192M bond measure

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday declined to place a $192 million school facilities bond measure on the November ballot, instead signaling they would revisit the proposal in a future election, possibly in 2026 or 2028.

The measure would not increase taxes for property owners within district boundaries. Instead, it would replace Measure J, which voters approved in 2002 and which expires in 2030, maintaining the current tax rate of $120 per $100,000 of assessed value.

Superintendent Heather Contreras said the district needs additional bond funding to address roughly $1 billion in deferred maintenance and other facility needs, adding that the district’s existing $350 million Measure M bond is insufficient to meet those demands.

“That’s how schools are funded,” she said. “When you need to make facility improvements, you have to go out for a bond.”

Dale Scott of Dale Scott & Co., which conducted a $15,000 survey of 410 voters from May 26 to June 1, said the poll found about 58 percent support for the measure.

Trustee Gabe Medina questioned whether the survey accurately reflected districtwide opinion. He noted that Monterey County accounts for about 8 percent of the district’s electorate — 4,666 voters — but only 20 survey respondents came from that area.

“How can we justify basing this districtwide $192 million bond decision on a sample size of just 20 people from my trustee area?” he asked.

“I will be opposing this, and this is going to fail, and I will be siding with the teachers union.”

Medina’s concerns were echoed by several of his colleagues, none of whom expressed support for placing the measure on the November ballot.

Trustee Misty Navarro suggested waiting until the 2028 presidential election, when more voters are likely to participate.

She noted that Measure M passed with 55.39 percent of the vote in 2024, narrowly exceeding the required 55 percent threshold.

Navarro also said voters have not yet seen the benefits of that bond.

“I think the timing on this is incredibly wrong,” she said.

Board President Carol Turley said she also had reservations, particularly because the district’s Sustainable Schools Advisory Committee has not yet completed its recommendations on possible school closures.

“I hear from a lot of community members that they feel overtaxed, and I am a little surprised by how the survey came out,” Turley said.