Gilroy school bond election, Measure P, 2008
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Measure P was approved with 67.58% of the vote.
At least 55% of those voting had to vote "yes" for the measure to pass.
The measure approves a $150 million bond.
Arguments against Measure P
The ballot arguments against Measure P were written by Mark A. Zappa, a Gilroy resident and member of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association.
He says, "Citizens of Gilroy are again being asked to give an even larger part of their income to a school facility. The Gilroy Unified School District with its' marginal academic success seems to require more and more money, always more than is originally bonded for in previous and current projects. A bond is the worst way to pay for anything. It is like using your MasterCard to pay your VISA, with one big difference. When you die, so does your credit card bill, but with a bond, your children and your grandchildren will be paying for these bills for decades. With $4.00 per gallon gasoline, tumbling home values and out of control debt, it is a poor time to ask overtaxed and overburdened citizens' to pay another dime. Homes are being foreclosed on and families are struggling to keep roofs over their heads. The GUSD has a budget and should learn to live within it like we all do with our homes. If we don't have the money, we don't buy it. Why shouldn't that principle apply to school districts? The Gilroy Unified School District's $150,000,000 million dollar bond is just too much of an added burden for the citizens of Gilroy. No doubt this bond campaign will tug on your heartstrings with calls for earthquake safety and "for the children" motto's. There will no doubt be high profile and well healed community leaders lending their names and money to this campaign. If they have the resources, I suggest they privately fund the new high school. Now is not the time for yet another bond. Please vote no on the Gilroy Unified School District Bond. We and our future generations cannot afford it."
