Center Joint Unified School District (CJUSD) serves approximately 4,600 students from TK/kindergarten through 12th grade and strives to provide a high-quality education that prepares students to be college- and job-ready. Teachers and staff strive to deliver rigorous academic programs, personalized instruction, and a variety of extracurricular activities to cater to the uniquely different communities and talents of CJUSD students. CJUSD believes that it is important to not only provide excellent educational opportunities to our students but also create a physically and emotionally safe school environment.

We’re proud of the high-quality education in CJUSD schools, but our schools are aging and need repairs. CJUSD is finalizing a comprehensive Facilities Master Plan to prioritize facility needs for our schools. This process includes conducting a thorough Needs Assessment of our school facilities and developing a plan to address the needs in our classrooms and on school grounds. This plan is intended to serve as a road map for addressing facility priorities. It includes projects such as replacing aging plumbing and electrical systems, repairing leaky roofs, and helping meet modern school safety and academic standards.

 

Additionally, CJUSD serves a community in one of California’s fastest-growing regions, and the District is experiencing significant growth in student enrollment. Currently, the District’s student population exceeds the capacity of its existing District-owned permanent school facilities, with approximately 33% of District classrooms in portables. As our school population grows, it will be necessary to upgrade existing campuses, including updating hands-on science and early-career training classrooms, to ensure that all local students continue to receive a high-quality education as our region expands. 

While no decisions have been made at this time, the Center Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees is considering placing a $197 million school-improvement bond measure on the November 2026 ballot to fund repairs and upgrades to our local schools. The potential measure is projected to cost approximately $60 per $100,000 assessed (not market) property value while bonds are outstanding, and it is projected that the new measure will not increase the current tax rate. If approved by local voters, a measure could:

 

The District has limited options for making the necessary renovations and upgrades our schools need. The State has been an unreliable partner in funding and provides very limited funding for facilities improvements.

 

A school facilities bond measure would provide local funding to address the facilities needs at our local schools. In addition, if passed, the measure would help our schools qualify for State-matching funds – funds that would otherwise go to other communities. Our District has, and will continue to, apply for State funding when it becomes available.

 

Yes, school improvement bond measures require mandatory fiscal accountability, including:

 

If passed by local voters, a potential measure is projected to cost approximately $60 per $100,000 assessed value (not market) while bonds are outstanding.

 

The cost of bond measures is based on the assessed value of properties. The assessed value of a property is generally based on the original purchase price and may not increase by more than 2% a year, per Prop 13, while the market value tends to grow at a much faster rate based on market conditions. Thus, the assessed value is typically lower than the market value, especially if a property was purchased long ago at a much lower price than it could be purchased for today. It is this lower assessed value upon which the repayment cost of a bond measure is based.

 

No. In 1991, CJUSD voters approved Measure N to fund repairs and upgrades that were needed at that time. The outstanding Measure N bonds will soon be paid off. The new measure will levy tax only after the outstanding 1991 bonds are paid down, thereby extending the tax rate on bonds. This enables the District to effectively generate new funds for classroom and school improvements and accommodate increasing enrollment in our District.

 

Voters in CJUSD approved bond measures in 1991 and 2008. The outstanding 1991 bond measure (Measure N) will soon be paid off. It is projected that this measure will extend, but not increase, the bond tax rate currently being paid by the District taxpayers to generate additional funding to upgrade and repair local school facilities and accommodate increasing enrollment in our District. It is projected that the new measure will not increase the current tax rate. 

 

An independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee, comprised of local residents, must review the use of all bond funds from a bond measure and report its findings to the public each year. Additionally, annual independent audits of all bond funds are mandatory.

 

No. By law, no funds from a school improvement bond measure can be used for non-bond operating expenses, including teacher and administrator salaries and pensions. Bond funds can only be used to repair and upgrade Center Joint Unified School District classrooms and facilities identified in the bond measure’s project list.

 

Whether or not you have school-age children, the quality of local schools impacts the quality of life in a community and impacts local home values. Academic research has shown that good local schools create demand for homes and help keep property values strong.

As CJUSD considers options for preparing our schools for the future, we welcome your input. To share your opinions or to ask questions, please contact Superintendent Scott Loehr at superintendent@centerusd.org or (916) 338-6400.