Hemet Unified Puts $225M Bond Measure Before Voters

Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) is hoping voters will support Measure I, a $225 million bond initiative, this November to address critical facility needs across its campuses.

“Over the last several years, our staff, facilities team and community advisory groups conducted comprehensive campus assessments that identified significant needs: aging roofs, outdated plumbing and electrical systems, deteriorating HVAC units, and essential upgrades required for campus safety and modern educational technology,” Sonia Ramirez, HUSD chief communications officer, said in an email to The Riverside Record. “Addressing these needs now prevents costly emergency repairs down the road and modernizes learning environments for vocational and STEM programs.”

The district said Measure I would effectively operate as an extension of the existing voter-authorized tax rate of $50 for every $100,000 in assessed value for all residential, commercial and industrial properties. 

The district, which faced a legal challenge over calling it a “no-tax-rate-increase” bond, has since changed the wording to a “rate-extension” bond.

“As noted during the proceedings, the financial reality of the measure remains consistent: Measure I is structured as an extension of the existing voter-authorized tax rate rather than an assessment above what property owners currently pay,” Ramirez said. “Our commitment remains focused on transparency, tax-payer accountability, and delivering safe, modern facilities for our students.”

If the bond is approved, Ramirez said the funds would be issued in “carefully structured series” over multiple years with work on the most urgent health, safety and infrastructure repairs set to begin as early as next year, though final decisions on project scheduling and phasing will be decided by the HUSD Board of Trustees.

The district would also be eligible for state funds, which Ramirez said typically provides a 53% match for new construction and up to 63% match for modernization projects. If the bond is not approved, the district would not be eligible for these funds.

“Without a local matching bond, our district is ineligible to access these state bond funds, meaning state tax dollars would be directed to other school districts instead of returning to HUSD classrooms,” Ramirez said. 

She said that means facility modernizations identified in its master plan would remain unfunded while essential repairs would have to be addressed bit by bit, since the full cost would have to come from the general fund.

“Because the General Fund directly covers everyday instructional costs, classroom resources, and staffing, absorbing major facility repairs into that operating budget would place strain on direct educational programs,” Ramirez said. “The district would be required to reprioritize capital outlays, defer long-term modernizations, and focus strictly on emergency containment.”

The district currently has three outstanding bond measures — Measure T, Measure U and Measure X — that it is still paying off. All proceeds from Measures T and U have been expended on completed campus projects, fully accounted for and closed out through annual independent audits and Measure X has been fully expended on projects, Ramirez said. 

Measures T and U are set to mature, or be paid in full, between 2035 and 2043, while Measure X is set to be paid in full around 2050, she added.