Voters in the Dixon Unified School District in Solano County will decide Measure U on Nov. 3, a $49 million general obligation bond to repair and modernize the district's schools. It needs 55% of the vote to pass. For every other local contest we have covered, see our Nov. 2026 Bay Area election guide.

What a yes vote does

A yes vote lets the district borrow up to $49 million by selling bonds, repaid through property taxes on homes and businesses inside the district. The ballot question lists fixing deteriorating roofs, plumbing, gas and electrical systems, removing asbestos and lead pipes, and upgrading classrooms, science labs, technology and career-training spaces in fields such as engineering and the skilled trades.

The district's own FAQ says the money would reach all seven campuses: Anderson, Tremont and Gretchen Higgins elementary schools, John Knight Middle School, Dixon and Maine Prairie high schools, and Dixon Montessori Charter School. It says 61 portable classrooms are more than 20 years old and that the schools had 71 roof leaks last year. Superintendent Brett Barley told the Independent Voice that some facilities are 60 years old or older.

A no vote means the bonds are not authorized and the tax is not levied.

What it would cost

According to the district's tax rate statement, as summarized from the impartial analysis by California Choices, the estimated average tax rate is $29 per $100,000 of assessed value, with a highest estimated rate of $30. Taxes would be collected through fiscal year 2061-62, and total debt service, principal plus interest, is estimated at about $105 million. The ballot question puts collections at roughly $3 million a year. These are estimates and can change.

The tax is based on assessed value, not market value. As a rough guide, the Independent Voice calculated that a home assessed at Dixon's approximate median sale price of $640,000 would pay about $192 a year more. That would come on top of the district's two existing bonds, Measure Q from 2016 (about $27.57 per $100,000 this year, through 2043) and Measure J from 2002 (about $34.71 per $100,000, through 2044). The paper put the combined cost of all three bonds at more than $590 a year on a $640,000 assessment.

Why the district says it needs the money

The district says a 2024 facilities assessment found more than $200 million in needs, and that old clay and cast-iron pipes are causing gas leaks, water leaks and sewage backups. Barley also pointed to state matching money from Proposition 2, the $10 billion school facilities bond voters passed in 2024; a local bond can help a district qualify for that match. As a Proposition 39 bond, Measure U money cannot pay salaries, benefits or pensions, and it would come with a citizens' oversight committee and independent audits.

Who is for and against it

Supporters argue Dixon students need safe, updated classrooms, labs and technology to compete for college and good-paying jobs. Opponents argue the measure repeats promises made under Measure Q and that the district keeps returning to voters for large bonds instead of keeping up routine maintenance. Former Dixon Mayor Joe Anderson told the Independent Voice: "What are we, their personal piggy bank/ATM?"

Track record

This is the district's fourth bond request in 24 years. Voters approved Measure J ($29.2 million) in 2002 with 67% and Measure Q ($30.4 million) in 2016 with 60%, money that helped build Dixon High and turn the old high school into John Knight Middle School. A $32 million bond, Measure D, failed in 2010 with less than 47%.

Other Solano County measures on the same ballot include Measure E, the county's data center and energy business tax, and the Fairfield, Vacaville and Rio Vista sales tax measures.