Carmel Unified School District Board members are being forced to rethink a $12.8 million bond measure that would raise property taxes in order to fund facility updates throughout the district after a survey revealed voters are unlikely to pass the measure this November.

The results of the survey, as well as photos of much-needed upkeep to the district’s schools, was presented at Wednesday’s board meeting.

Finalized in 2019, the Facilities Master Plan targets long-term goals of the district to keep its schools up-to-date. The plan addresses various grounds upkeep such as addressing dry rot, termite damage and damage to asphalt which were shown in photos provided by Chief Operations Officer Dan Paul. The plan would modernize facilities, update school technology, upgrade heating, sewer systems, roofs and plumbing.

The board has floated the idea of putting up $190 million in bond measures on the November 2024 ballot that would raise around $12.8 million annually through taxes to help pay for the plan. The tax would be around $29 per $100,000 of assessed value.

The state facilities program matches 60% of the district’s budget, meaning Carmel Unified is eligible for around $2 million in state modernization funding now, with an additional $16.7 million in 2028. But Paul and Chief Business Official Yvonne Perez say that’s not enough to cover the cost of necessary updates.

According to Perez, “there is a misconception in the community about the need for a bond.” To see what these misconceptions are and test the feasibility of a November bond measure, the district contracted EMC Research to administer a survey to a random sample of 400 community members from May 19-June 2.

Project lead Jessica Polsky-Sanchez presented her team’s research via Zoom. The survey showed that only 47% of respondents would vote “yes” on the bond if they had to vote that day. The bond measure needs 55% to pass.

The survey also showed that only 11% of respondents trust the district to properly manage their tax dollars, which is a 10-point drop from the last time the survey was administered in 2020. When asked if maintaining the quality of Carmel Unified Schools should be a top priority even if it means raising taxes, 34% agreed, which is also a drop from 42% in 2020.

The majority of respondents who said they would vote “no” on the measure cited they don’t perceive the funding is needed as the reason for their vote. After learning more information regarding what the funding would go toward, only 52% said they would now vote “yes,” still three points under what would be needed to pass the measure.

“There are folks in the community who are on all sides on this, who are wanting answers and I believe this information is incredibly helpful,” said Superintendent Sharon Ofek. “It’s not helpful to make a decision on a hunch or the pressure of one group who might be advocating stronger than another… this information hopefully is beneficial to everyone.”

According to Ofek, consultation with financial and communications advisors as well as the polling has led to district staff not recommending the board go forward with putting the measure on the November ballot. “That said, it is the board’s decision,” said Ofek.

She suggested that one option would be to wait until the 2026 gubernatorial election and spend the next two years building awareness about the need for bond funding to complete facilities updates.

“It’s no secret that I’ve had concerns about this,” said board member Karl Pallastrini. “The risk of not being successful is something that we just do not need going forward… so I remain where I started, in not moving forward.”

Board member Anne-Marie Rosen agreed that facilities do need to be updated, but now is not the time to ask for the public to help pay for it when the public doesn’t feel like they are being listened to.

Rosen described she has heard from community members that they have felt like an “afterthought” and that “their thoughts and interests are not valid” when it comes to the bond measure that would raise their taxes and change their future property value.

“You don’t shut the public up and then ask them to go and do something. It’s not a good idea.” Rosen recommends hosting open houses where the community can come in and see the state of schools for themselves and understand the need for the bond.

“Parents don’t pass school bonds, the community passes school bonds… passing Carmel Middle School at 35, 40 miles an hour, the place looks like a palace,” said Pallastrini. “If you don’t have kids in school and aren’t connected to the system, you don’t know what the place looks like on the inside.”

The board also unanimously passed next year’s budget on Wednesday. The board also approved a tentative agreement between the California Schools Employees Association and the district. In the Superintendent’s report, Ofek announced that a designated meeting room for the board located at Carmel Middle School is projected to be ready for next month’s board meeting.