San Mateo and Foster City voters in the San Mateo-Foster City School District will decide on Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether to approve Measure W, a facilities bond of up to $498 million. The county impartial analysis and the Patch voter guide describe the same package: campus repairs and modernization, plus workforce housing for teachers and staff. See every local contest we have covered in our Nov. 3, 2026 election guide.

What the bond would pay for

Per the impartial analysis and the district's bond page, Measure W could fund restoring shop and career-tech spaces; updating STEM classrooms and labs; replacing leaky roofs and old windows; updating fire alarms and emergency communications; accessibility, safety and security upgrades; affordable workforce housing for teachers and staff on district property; and other facility work on the bond project list.

District priority estimates put roughly $100 million toward workforce housing, $84 million toward replacing windowless classrooms, $69 million toward science, music and career-tech spaces, $59 million toward a Bowditch campus rebuild, plus classroom modernizations, furniture, painting and roofing. Named sites include Abbott Middle School, Audubon, Bayside, Borel, Bowditch and San Mateo Park. Sequencing would depend on costs and how much of the authorization the board issues.

Cost to property owners

Official materials estimate an average annual tax of $29 per $100,000 of assessed value while bonds are outstanding — about $232 a year on an $800,000 assessed home. Assessed value under Proposition 13 is usually below market price. Total repayment, principal plus interest, is estimated at about $900 million through fiscal year 2054–55 if the full authorization is used; rates and years can change with interest rates and issuance timing.

Bond money cannot pay regular teacher or administrator salaries or operating costs. An independent citizens' oversight committee and annual audits would track spending. Renters do not pay the ad valorem bond tax directly.

Why another bond, and who is for or against

The district says many classrooms are decades old, some fire alarms are about 25 years old, and Measure T in 2020 — which it says finished on time and on budget — did not cover all STEM, shop, roofing and housing needs. The argument in favor stresses leaky roofs, aging pipes, STEM wiring, restored shop classes, fire-safety upgrades and converting unused district buildings into teacher housing.

As of Oct. 13, Bay Ballot showed a 3–3 split among tracked guides: the San Mateo County Democratic Party, Central Labor Council and Silicon Valley DSA recommend yes; Reform California, the county Republican Party and the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association recommend no. Full arguments are in the county voter pamphlet on smcacre.gov.

  • Yes: Authorize up to $498 million in bonds for the listed projects, repaid through the estimated property-tax levy.
  • No: Block the authorization; deferred facility and housing work stays unfunded by this measure.

Measure W needs 55% of votes cast on the measure (Prop. 39 school-bond threshold).

Other Peninsula measures nearby

Voters may also see regional Measure RTM, plus Burlingame Measure R, East Palo Alto Measure O, San Mateo Measure H, Redwood City Measure E and county Measure L.