If approved, Measure Z would result in an estimated tax rate of 4 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Visalia voters will decide this November whether to approve Measure Z, a $158 million school bond proposed by the Visalia Unified School District.
The measure is intended to fund facility upgrades and infrastructure improvements across the district, but some community members are questioning whether enough information has been provided about how the money would be spent.
District Superintendent Kirk Shrum says the bond is needed to address aging facilities and growing maintenance concerns.
"We have a phenomenal facilities maintenance operations team, but there's only so many times you can patch a roof," Shrum said.
According to the district, schools experienced more than 300 roof leaks last year.
Officials also point to hundreds of portable classrooms across the district that are more than two decades old and nearing the end of their useful life.
At schools like Crestwood Elementary, district leaders say many portables need significant repairs or replacement with permanent classroom buildings.
"This money generated would go directly to those critical infrastructure items, for replacing roofs, replacing portables, modernizing classrooms, safer places for parents to pick up and drop off their students," Shrum said.
If approved, Measure Z would result in an estimated tax rate of 4 cents per $100 of assessed property value. District officials estimate that translates to roughly $120 per year for the average homeowner.
Not everyone is convinced the measure should pass.
Visalia resident Harold Myer, who has grandchildren in the district, has launched a Facebook page called Vote No on Visalia Unified Measure Z.
While he says he supports investing in schools and has voted for bonds in the past, he argues the measure lacks specific details about how funds would be allocated.
"The bond measure doesn't specify any pricing of anything," Myer said. "And it had the disclaimer, the same disclaimer as the one they used in 2018."
Myer's concerns stem in part from Measure A, a bond approved by voters in 2018 that included plans for a fifth comprehensive high school. That school was never built.
Shrum said district enrollment projections later showed significantly lower future growth than originally anticipated, leading the district to redirect those funds to other school improvement projects.
However, Myer questions why the district is still planning new construction projects, including a proposed elementary school in northwest Visalia.
"So, why are we building a new elementary school for $48 million when the enrollment is declining?" Myer asked.
Myer also criticized the timeline leading up to the measure's placement on the ballot, noting that consultants were hired in January while the public discussion around the bond did not begin until July.
He believes voters need more detailed information before making a decision.
"This bond measure wasn't transparent," Myer said. "Citizens need this information."
District leaders say safeguards are built into the measure. Shrum noted that spending would be publicly disclosed, independently audited and overseen by a citizens' oversight committee if Measure Z is approved.
"When you think about the facilities that our community deserves, that our students deserve, our teachers deserve, they deserve to be in classrooms that reflect the amazing teaching that is happening in them every day," Shrum said.
As election day approaches, both supporters and opponents are working to make their cases to voters.
Visalia Unified plans to host community walking tours at local schools to highlight facility needs, beginning Sept. 22 at Crestwood Elementary. District officials say the tours will give residents a firsthand look at the types of projects Measure Z would fund if approved.
You can find more information about Measure Z here.
You can find the Vote no on Visalia Unified Measure Z Facebook page by clicking here.