The choice facing Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District voters this November is whether to approve $321 million in bonds for repairs and campus projects at Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools. Measure N would pay for building work, technology upgrades and safety improvements; property owners would repay the bonds through higher taxes.
Approval requires a 55% majority, according to The Mercury News. The tax rate would rise by $30 per $100,000 of assessed value, and repayment is expected to take 14 years, not including interest. The measure is estimated to generate $23 million a year for the district's two high schools, Local News Matters reported.
The district identifies deteriorating roofs and restrooms, outdated electrical systems, and aging heating and cooling equipment among the needs the bond would address. Superintendent Heath Rocha also said the funds would support cafeteria, indoor athletic facility and classroom updates, according to the East Bay Times report carried by the Mercury News. The Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District says some facilities are more than 100 years old, with dry rot, leaky roofs and plumbing and electrical systems in need of replacement.
Planned Work at the Two High Schools
At Los Gatos High School, plans include upgrading the 70-year-old career technical education building and adding a field house with a fitness center, physical education classrooms and restrooms. A new parking structure would increase capacity from 337 spaces to just under 600.
At Saratoga High School, the proposed work includes new math classrooms, which are currently the smallest on campus, and a drop-off zone beside Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. The robotics department would get a dedicated building and competition fields. Both campuses are slated for cafeteria upgrades and security improvements. District officials say priorities were shaped by community input for the facilities master plan, a 10-year roadmap the Board of Trustees approved in executive-summary form on May 28, 2026; the full plan was shared the following month.
The Debate: Facility Spending or Other Priorities?
Mark W. A. Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, opposes the bond, arguing that facility work does not improve academic performance and that the district should use its annual operating budget for needed funds rather than raise taxes. He has suggested a parcel tax to help hire and retain teachers instead of issuing construction bonds.
The district says bond proceeds cannot pay for operating costs or programs; they are restricted to facility upgrades and improvements. They also cannot be used for administrators' salaries or benefits, according to the district's FAQ page. The district says an independent citizens' oversight committee would monitor Measure N spending, alongside mandatory annual audits.
Past Votes and the Wider Context
The district's previous facilities bond, Measure E, passed in 2014 and raised $99 million for modernization and other improvements. Among the projects was a music building at Saratoga High School, which held its ribbon-cutting in September 2017 and provides space for 600 music students; it is now home to the Saratoga Music Boosters. Voters also approved Measure A, a parcel tax supporting academic programs and teacher retention, with 73% support in 2011, and Measure B, an earlier facilities bond, with 80.2% support in 1998.
What the Measure E Audit Found
A performance audit of the district's 2014 Measure E fund, conducted by Eide Bailly for the year ended June 30, 2023, found that, in all significant respects, the district spent the funds only on projects approved by voters, according to the district's Measure E performance audit.
The East Bay Times report notes that the district's current K-12 bond tax rate is $13.20 per $100,000 of assessed property value, the lowest among Santa Clara County's 30 school districts. Statewide, nearly a third of California schools are at least 50 years old, and 38% of K-12 students attend schools that do not meet the minimum standard for being clean, safe and functional, according to LAist. Other local requests this cycle include a parcel tax and $100 million bond sought by Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, and Measure V, an $848 million community college bond for San Mateo County voters.
