Gilroy Unified's $295M Measure M School Bond Trails 55% Mark in Early Returns

by Chris Renois

Gilroy Unified School District's $295 million facilities bond, Measure M, has more yes votes than no votes so far. But early, unofficial returns from the November 3, 2026 election show it below the 55% it needs to pass. Many ballots are still left to count, so the result isn't final. Here is what the measure would do, what it would cost property owners in the district, and what to watch for next.

Where the count stands

The Gilroy Dispatch cited Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters results as of 11:10 p.m. on election night. At that point, "yes" votes made up 51.57% of the Measure M ballots counted, or 5,880 votes. KQED's results page showed a slightly later update from 11:31 p.m., with 5,881 yes votes (51.5%) and 5,522 no votes (48.4%). In the Registrar's update on the evening of November 4, KQED showed 5,981 yes votes (51.5%) and 5,627 no votes (48.4%).

School bonds like this one need a 55% supermajority, not a simple majority. That means Measure M would need its share of yes votes to rise by more than three points as the remaining vote-by-mail and provisional ballots are counted. Election-night numbers often change in California, so the outcome may not be clear for a while. The Registrar's website posts updates and will post the certified result.

What Measure M would fund

The ballot question asks whether the district may issue $295 million in bonds. The money would pay for building, upgrading and modernizing classrooms, restrooms and other school facilities. It would also cover safety and security improvements, career technical education classrooms, and replacing leaky roofs. The ballot language says the money can't go to teacher or administrator salaries, that the program would have annual audits and independent oversight, and that all funds would be spent locally.

The Gilroy Dispatch reported in June that the district's resolution lists projects at almost every campus. These include replacing portable classrooms with permanent ones, renovating parking lots and restrooms, modernizing classrooms and common areas, safety upgrades, energy-efficiency work, and new roofs and fencing. On its Measure M webpage, the district lists these priorities:

New classrooms for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students, replacing portables
Modernizing the district's oldest school sites
Shade structures, athletic stadium improvements and other outdoor upgrades
Career technical education spaces at Gilroy High School for culinary arts, welding and HVAC

Gilroy Unified serves about 10,000 students at 14 schools in Gilroy and the south Santa Clara Valley. They are El Roble, Eliot, Glen View, Las Animas, Luigi Aprea, Rod Kelley and Rucker elementary schools; Ascencion Solorsano, Brownell and South Valley middle schools; and Christopher High, Gilroy High, Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy and Mt. Madonna Continuation High. For example, the district's 2025 Facilities Master Plan lists needs at Eliot Elementary that include fencing, improved exits, play structures, asphalt repairs, more parking, modernized restrooms and shade structures, according to the Dispatch.

Why the district asked for $295 million

The Dispatch reported that the master plan found about $958 million in facility needs over the next 10 years. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Alvaro Meza told the board that staff chose to seek $295 million for the highest-priority needs. He also said a bond covering the full amount would almost certainly fail. The board voted unanimously on May 28 to place the measure on the ballot. Gilroy voters have approved school bonds before: the $150 million Measure P in 2008 and the $170 million Measure E in 2016.

What it would cost property owners

The ballot language estimates a levy of about $59 per $100,000 of assessed value, raising about $18.3 million a year while the bonds are outstanding. The district's FAQ page rounds the estimate to about $60 per $100,000. Both figures are estimates.

The rate is based on the assessed value on your county property tax bill, not your home's market value. Under Proposition 13, assessed value is often much lower than market value, especially if you have owned your home for a long time. As a rough illustration, a home assessed at $700,000 would pay about $413 a year at $59 per $100,000. The district notes that this kind of bond is usually repaid over 25 to 30 years. The tax applies to all taxable property in the district: residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial.

What Gilroy-area homeowners, buyers and sellers might do

Homeowners: Find your assessed value on your Santa Clara County property tax bill so you can estimate your share if the measure passes. Voter-approved bonds appear as separate line items on the bill.
Buyers: If you are shopping in the Gilroy Unified area, ask your lender to base your payment estimate on your expected purchase-price assessment and current voter-approved levies. Then update that estimate once Measure M's result is certified. A tax professional can answer questions about how these levies are treated on your tax return.
Sellers: The outcome doesn't change anything in a sale that is already underway. Buyers may still ask about total property tax costs, so it helps to have your latest tax bill on hand.

The district's FAQ says that if Measure M fails, major repairs would be postponed and would likely cost more later. The district would also have to use money that would otherwise go to classroom instruction for critical safety repairs. The sources we reviewed did not say whether the district would bring a bond back to voters in a future election. We will keep following the count and share the certified result.

Sources

Thinking about buying or selling in the Bay Area? Chris Renois can walk you through how these changes affect your home and your plans. Call or text (650) 512-9817, email chrisrenois@therealexperts.com, or get a free home value estimate.

This article is general information for Bay Area homeowners and buyers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws, rates and deadlines change; please confirm details with the original sources linked above or a qualified professional. Chris Renois, California DRE #02030130.