UPDATE: 8:35 a.m., March 4, 2020
Wednesday morning results showed the Chula Vista school bond measure earned 52.6% of the vote — a few percentage points below the threshold it needed to pass.
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters estimated 350,000 ballots are still left to be tallied but it's unclear how many of those yet uncounted votes would apply to Measure M.
Original story:
Measure M, the school bond to raise property taxes to build affordable housing and modernize classrooms in Chula Vista, appears not to have enough votes to pass Tuesday night.
It needs 55% of the votes to pass.
Chula Vista Elementary School District was asking voters to raise local property taxes to modernize classrooms and build a 100-unit affordable housing complex for teachers and staff. The district hopes the subsidized units will attract new teachers, especially for special education students and English learners.
RELATED: Chula Vista Bond Measure Could Build Affordable Housing For Teachers And Staff
Across California, school boards and superintendents are lamenting a lack of funding from the state. Declining enrollment, rising pension costs and more students receiving special education services have tightened budgets statewide.
With Measure M on the March ballot, the Chula Vista district was proposing a $300 million bond. Of that amount, $65 million would go to affordable housing units for teachers and staff.
Chula Vista Elementary School District employs more than 2,500 teachers and staff. Teacher salaries range from about $51,000 to just over $103,000.
The average sale price of a home in Chula Vista is about $708,000. Affording a 30-year mortgage would require an annual household income of about $108,000.
The average three- or four-bedroom apartment costs about $2,500 a month, which would require a household income of about $86,000 a year.
