Visalia Unified School District Board of Trustees Place Local Education Bond Measure on November 2026 Ballot to Address School Safety Repairs

Visalia Unified School District Board of Trustees Place Local Education Bond Measure on November 2026 Ballot to Address School Safety Repairs

Visalia, CA – The Visalia Unified School Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution at Thursday’s Board meeting to place a local education bond measure on the November 2026 ballot.

The measure proposes to fix and repair local schools – most of which are over 50 years old – to meet modern health and safety codes, ensure accessible buildings for students with disabilities, remove hazardous materials such as asbestos and lead pipes, and continue providing safe drinking water.

“The decision to place a measure on the ballot has been several years in the making with audit findings of over $600,000,000 in long-term necessary repairs and upgrades to our buildings, of which $180,000,000 need to be fixed in the next one-to-five years,” said Superintendent Kirk Shrum. “We also recently received feedback from over 1,100 community respondents helping us to further identify local school needs and educational priorities. Our bond was extensively shaped by our facilities feedback that over time, has garnered over 2,400 responses.”

Most Visalia schools were built so long ago that aging infrastructure is breaking down. Staff and students experienced 383 roof leaks last year and several don’t meet current facility health, safety and disability codes, and are not accessible for students with disabilities. If approved by voters, funding will allow the District to make these and other repairs and upgrades.

 “This measure, if enacted, will also support the District in replacing portable classrooms that are over 20 years old and falling apart, many of which have structural damage and water leaks leading to damage” stated Chief Business Officer, Nathan Hernandez. 

All funds generated by the measure are subject to strong accountability and transparency requirements, including a project list describing how money will be used, a Citizens’ Oversight Committee, independent audits, and public disclosure of all spending. By law, all money raised by this measure will stay local to support Visalia Unified students, cannot be taken by the State, or used for administrators’ salaries or benefits.

In an independent survey commissioned earlier this year by True North Research, in the initial ballot test, 59% of respondents indicated they would support a 55% requirement education bond to address the needs of local schools in the District. The proposed $158 million bond would cost voters 4 cents per $100 assessed value. This roughly translates to $10 a month for the average homeowner.

For more information on this process, and a full copy of the measure resolution, visit engage.vusd.org. 

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