Carmel Unified board authorizes consultants to study a possible general-obligation bond after lengthy debate

The Carmel Unified School District Board of Education voted to authorize staff to proceed with a feasibility evaluation and to expend funds for consultants to explore a potential general-obligation bond for the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot.

Shane Green, municipal advisor with East Shore Consulting, provided the board with an overview of how general-obligation (GO) bonds are sized and issued, the distinction between assessed and market value under Proposition 13, and examples of illustrative scenarios. "We are a fiduciary to our clients, which means that we are required to look first and foremost at our clients' needs," Green told the board, explaining the consultant role in designing a fiscally responsible bond program.

Green presented sample programs (illustrative only) including a $200 million bond that he estimated could require a projected tax rate near $32.82 per $100,000 of assessed value under certain amortization assumptions; he also described a $250 million scenario and explained how growth assumptions (the board's baseline 4% assessed-value growth model) and series issuance can lower near-term rates while phasing projects over time.

Chief Business Official Yvonne Perez and the municipal advisor emphasized that the figures were illustrative, that state matching funds may be available, and that the district has not made any final commitments. Perez said staff would return with more precise estimates and legal analysis if the board authorized consultant work.

The motion before the board authorized district staff to engage consultants for feasibility/polling, communications, potential bond counsel and state-match analysis and to return with a recommended program and timeline. Board Member Jason Romensi moved the motion; Board Member Jake Odello seconded. After public comment from Bill Schreier, president of the Association of Carmel Teachers supporting partnership possibilities, trustees voted: Matt Glaser — yes; Sarah Hines — yes; Jake Odello — yes; Jason Romensi — yes; Rita Patel — no. The motion passed 4–1.

Trustees who supported the motion said a feasibility process is the prudent path to gather data and ensure any measure is presented to voters with clarity and oversight. Trustee Rita Patel, who voted no, said she was concerned about timing and community readiness and preferred a later cycle for a bond.

Next steps: staff will engage consultants and return with outreach plans, poll results (if commissioned), a refined priority list tied to the facilities master plan, and a proposed schedule and draft resolution for board consideration. No bond measure has yet been placed on the ballot.

Board action: authorized staff to proceed with feasibility and consultant expenditures; vote 4–1 (Romensi motion; Odello second).