Fremont Union bond measure merits yes vote
The Fremont Union High School District has come a long way since the district held its first high school classes on May 2, 1923, in two rooms of Sunnyvale Grammar School.
In 1924, voters approved a $250,000 bond measure to build the district's first high school to serve 400 students. Today, the district serves 11,000 students in five high schools in Cupertino and Sunnyvale.
The district is seeking approval of a $275 million bond measure that is primarily designed to modernize aging school facilities. District officials have a track record of making prudent use of taxpayer dollars. Voters should approve Measure G on the June 7 ballot.
That first high school — Fremont Union High School — still stands and will celebrate its centennial in 2025. The district's four other high schools — Cupertino (1968), Homestead (1962), Lynbrook (1965) and Monta Vista (1969) — are all more than 50 years old. Voters approved a $275 million bond measure, Measure CC, in 2018 that began the process of updating the high schools' 400 classrooms. Measure G is designed to complete that process.
The refurbished classrooms would include new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; LED lighting replacement and ceiling tiles; fire alarms and sprinklers; a technology refresh; and new furniture, paint, roofing and flooring. The high schools' libraries would all receive upgrades, and Measure G would build a new district robotic center for use by all of the high school students.
The measure would cost property owners an average projected $15 per $100,000 of assessed value each year. Measure G would add to previous tax payments for other bond measures that cost about $42 per $100,000 of assessed value annually. Property owners also have an annual $98-per-parcel tax payment, approved by voters in 2020, that helps cover district operation costs.
District officials say they planned to time issuance of the bonds so that the tax bill increase from Measure G would match the expected decrease in taxes collected from previous bond measures as they are paid off. That would mean that district taxpayers would not see an increase to their bill from the district for supplemental taxes.
The Fremont Union High School District has a history of making wise use of taxpayer funds on five of California's top-rated high schools. Voters should approve Measure G.