Meanwhile, on the same day in the same publication, news that the Los Altos district has shrinking enrollment:
Web Link

Gee, how much are they spending on the new administration building where the district offices will be?? 750 San Pierre Way?? Anyone know the details?? It looks like a massive project.

Does anyone know if the district publishes a budget so we the tax payers can actually see where our money is going? I don't feel like the media is giving us enough information. They need to do a little more digging.

I would vote absolutely NO unless we can see some real numbers.

@Tina

Here is the MWVSD Measure G construction spend by school [Web Link

There are 2 phases of the DO work.

Phase 1 - Where Stevenson is temporary housed this year, which will be part of the DO: ~$5.7M
Phase 4 - Do modular work - $7.5M

Hope this helps

So, 7 years ago we voted for $41M. The current high school population is 4,200 and it might grow another 500 students, so of course another $295M (or 7X what was approved 7 years ago) is warranted?! That is an INSANE number...who is backing this? My guess, contractors. Definitely a "no" from us.

The increase in student population is largely due to employment growth at the Googles and Microsofts of the city and the housing demands of these companies' employees.

They will benefit, therefore they should pay.

Not the people who have lived here and whose kids can't afford to stay in the area. Again, because of the Googles and Microsofts.

I fully understand and sympathize with the needs for schools to grow. But the article convenient skims over how the mouse is being spent today and will be spent tomorrow.

New housing units mean more property tax and with record housing price, I am frankly baffled as to why there isn't enough money to pay for expansion and maintenance.

Measure E will impose tax for the next 20 years, at a rate of $300 per $1M assessed property value, or $6,000 over 20 years. That is a hefty sum for recent homebuyers as median home prices in Mountain View and Los Altos are now $2M (or about $25,000/year property tax).

I place much of the blame on 1979 Proposition 13, which caps property tax on properties purchased before 1975 at ridiculously low rate. Many such homes are being rented, so the property tax is locked in at ridiculous low rate, starving school budget.

The secondary blame goes to Mountain View approving housing projects left and right without much thoughts given to infrastructure and schools.

Even though I have a great sympathy for our schools, I would be voting NO on Measure E.

peanutboy said, "New housing units mean more property tax and with record housing price, I am frankly baffled as to why there isn't enough money to pay for expansion and maintenance."

Good question. I don't have an answer, but suggest it may be in this fact: Although housing prices are spectacularly high, the actual number of housing units being sold per year is small (how small, I don't know) compared to the total number of houses in Mountain View.

And, housing units being added to the available stock are nearly all in multi-family structures such as apartments and condominiums. This is so, because there is not enough vacant land available for it to be any other way. In today's market, more than 75% of the cost of a single-family, detached home goes for the land alone; only 25% or less for the house.

Poor management on the part of the district. Mountain View is experiencing unprecedented growth HUGE GROWTH!! there is construction happening literally everywhere you look and you need money for schools? Infrastructure is sagging streets are a mess it's taking 3 years to get a bike friendly path from east to west. Come now, I was ok with measure A but not this time. Prove you can get public projects done on time and on budget and maybe try again.