UPLAND – Upland Unified School District’s Board of Education voted unanimously during its July 28 meeting to place a $236.7 million school improvement bond measure on the Nov. 3 ballot, asking voters to consider funding campus modernization, facility upgrades, and repairs across the District.

“All Upland students deserve safe, modern learning environments designed for the careers, technology, and opportunities of tomorrow,” Board President Mary Locke said. “This measure is essential to ensure our community schools receive the repairs and updates they need to continue serving our community.”

Many UUSD campuses were built in the 1950s and 60s and require modernization to better support student success, career preparation, and the evolving needs of today’s classrooms. In recent years, the District has also experienced heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and plumbing failures, resulting in costly deferred maintenance repairs.

If approved by at least 55% of voters, the school improvement measure would provide funding for District schools to modernize aging school facilities; improve campus safety and security systems; repair or replace deteriorating roofs; upgrade outdated electrical, plumbing, and other core building systems; improve accessibility for people with disabilities; expand classrooms and labs that support career technical education and workforce preparation; and make energy efficiency improvements that reduce utility costs and direct more resources toward classrooms.

The projected tax rate for the measure is approximately $47.50 per $100,000 of assessed value, not market value, each year. Assessed value is determined by the San Bernadino County Assessor and is often significantly lower than a property’s current market value.

State law requires strict fiscal accountability for all school bond measures. All funds generated by the measure would remain under local control and could only be used for Upland Unified schools. An Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee and mandatory annual financial and performance audits would ensure the funds are spent as approved by voters.

Bond proceeds cannot be used for administrators’ salaries, and the District is required to maintain a detailed project list identifying how the funds may be used.

More information about the proposed school improvement measure is available on the District’s website.