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Writer's pictureNaomi Friedland

Measure B: Voters back bond for Tam Union schools

Voters in the Tamalpais Union High School District have backed a $289-million bond measure that will be used to make facilities upgrades across the district’s five campuses.


For complete local election coverage, visit thearknewspaper.com/election2024.

 

As of the latest results from the Nov. 5 election, posted early Nov. 8, Measure B had earned 63.7% approval from voters, well above the 55% majority it needed to pass. Of the 43,668 votes cast in the race, 27,814 were in support, while 15,854 were against it.



Approval on the Tiburon Peninsula hovered around the overall total, with 62% of Tiburon and Strawberry voters backing the measure and 56% of Belvedere voters supporting the bond.

 

Some 48,570 of 86,846 registered district voters cast ballots in the race, for turnout of about 56% so far, though the county continues to count mail-in ballots. Ballots postmarked Nov. 5 or earlier are still eligible to be processed, but they must arrive at Marin County’s election department by Nov. 12 to be counted.

 

“I feel relieved and excited that it passed,” said district board member Emily Uhlhorn. “It’s important both for our infrastructure needs and for our teaching and learning.”

 

The bond measure will levy a tax of $17.60 per $100,000 of assessed value on properties in the district, which in addition to the peninsula includes more than a dozen other communities along the Highway 101 corridor south and west of San Rafael, netting the district some $20.7 million annually. For the median district home assessment of $1.1 million, the tax would be about $193 annually. The assessed value is based on the purchase price of a home and cannot increase by more than 2% each year.

 

The tax would be levied starting in fiscal year 2025-2026, which begins July 1, and would sunset in fiscal 2052-2053. The district estimates that the total debt service, including principal and interest, would be $579.2 million.

 


The victory for Measure B comes after a $517-million bond proposal narrowly failed at the polls in March, with many community members saying they felt the price tag was simply too high. The district decided to scale back the measure to focus on what officials identified as the highest priority projects for student safety, including district-wide heating, ventilation and cooling upgrades and roof repairs.

 

Officials cautioned that if Measure B didn’t pass, the district would likely have to dip into its general fund to cover the most urgent work, a move that would likely have resulted in significant cuts to staff and programs.

 

The $289-million bond measure includes some $103.3 million in work at Redwood High School, the main high school for students on the Tiburon Peninsula, including spending some $72.1 million to build a new two-story art building and a new music building on campus and to expand the school’s existing cafeteria and kitchen. As part of that project, the district will construct a new multipurpose eating area that would include indoor and outdoor dining areas and also serve as an instructional space for students, staff and the community.

 

Other projects planned at Redwood include an estimated $22 million in roof and HVAC replacements; spending $400,000 to replaster the pool; and a $1.1-million replacement of the turf on Ghilotti Field.

 

Tamalpais High School will see $120.6 million in work, including $76.6 million for a new three-building science, technology, engineering, arts and math complex with updated classrooms and a music center. Other projects include an estimated $33.5 million in roof and HVAC upgrades along with kitchen modernization, resurfacing of the school track, replastering of the school pool and elevator replacement.

 


The district’s third traditional high school, Archie Williams in San Anselmo, will see about $60.3 million in funding, including an estimated $27.4 million for roof and HVAC replacement, $11.3 million to modernize its performing arts center and $2.4 million each to replace its football and baseball fields.

 

Work proposed for the district’s alternative high schools, Tamiscal and San Andreas, and the district office will total about $5.5 million, prioritizing roof and HVAC upgrades.

 

Measure B faced no organized opposition at the polls; the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, or CST, stayed neutral on the measure after organizing the most prominent campaign against the $517-million measure in March.

 

However, several individuals signed a ballot argument against Measure B, including Benedetto Cico, owner of the San Anselmo Inn, who questioned whether the projects identified under the bond measure were truly critical and suggested the district should focus solely on the estimated $80 million needed for roof and HVAC repairs.

 

Cico said he accepted the results.

 


“The people have spoken, so they got what they wanted and that’s fine, of course,” he said, though he added it was up to local media, parents, teachers and teacher unions to monitor how the bond money is being spent.

 

With the passage of Measure B, the Tamalpais district makes itself eligible to receive state funding under Proposition 2, which passed on the Nov. 5 ballot and will provide $210 billion to to fix and renovate K-12 schools and community colleges across California. Uhlhorn said the district will likely be eligible for some $40 million-$60 million in state funding, though it could take up to eight years to receive. District Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Corbett Elsen previously said that money could be used toward facilities projects that were identified under the original $517-million bond measure but ultimately cut when the measure was trimmed down.

 

Reach Belvedere, Strawberry and public-safety reporter Naomi Friedland at 415-944-4627. DONATE to support local journalism, or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery and access to the digital replica.

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