Reed’s $115 million Measure O topping 55% bar in early returns

Voters in the Reed Union School District were backing a $115 million bond to repair and upgrade the district’s three schools in early election-night returns.

Measure O received 58.5% support, or 1,886 votes, in the county’s first election-night count, released at 8:25 p.m. Nov. 3. That put it 3.5 percentage points above the 55% it needs to pass. Another 1,338 votes, or 41.5%, were against it, for 3,224 votes counted on the measure.

Results are preliminary. Mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive as late as Nov. 10 and still be counted, and Marin County has until Dec. 3 to certify the results.

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Reed Union board President Shelby Pasarell Tsai, who was also on the ballot for reelection, said “early returns look good” and that she was feeling “hopefully optimistic for our school” district.

Pasarell Tsai said she was “really looking forward to community recognizing the importance of strong and vibrant schools, and it shows that our community really does value the schools.”

The tax would be levied on properties in the district, which includes Tiburon, Belvedere and east Corte Madera, beginning in fiscal year 2027-2028, when the district expects the rate to peak at $30 per $100,000 of assessed value. That works out to $300 a year for every $1 million of assessed value.

The district estimates the rate would average $26.63 per $100,000 over the life of the bonds, with the tax collected for the last time in fiscal 2060-2061. The levy would raise about $6.2 million a year, according to the ballot question, and the district’s tax rate statement estimates that repaying the full $115 million would cost $213 million in principal and interest.

No argument against Measure O was filed with the Marin County Elections Department.

School districts in California usually turn to bond measures to pay for repairs, renovations and new construction because they receive no dedicated funding for facilities upkeep. A bond functions as a loan taken out by the school district that property owners pay back through increased property taxes.

No bond money can be used for teacher or administrator salaries, and the measure requires a citizens’ oversight committee and annual independent audits. The measure’s text also says the money must be spent on the district’s schools and cannot be taken by the state or county.

Needs across the district include replacing portable classrooms and installing air conditioning in all rooms on all three campuses.

Other districtwide work includes upgrading failing clay-pipe plumbing, repairing leaking roofs, removing asbestos and mold from aging buildings and making campuses more accessible than the Americans with Disabilities Act requires.

At Bel Aire Elementary School, identified improvements include installing heaters in three buildings, repaving the lower playground and creating shade for the lunch area.

At Reed Elementary School, other high-priority work includes replacing roofs over the administration building, building a covered lunch area and replacing old walkways.

And at Del Mar Middle School, improvements include repaving the playground, fixing concrete and asphalt, replacing stairs from the field to the street and redoing the track.

Reach Tiburon reporter Francisco Martinez at 415-944-4634.