Measure Z, to fund school renovations, passes
November 10, 2018
Measure Z, which passed Tuesday night after gaining the support of roughly 68 percent of voters, will provide up to $460 million in bonds for the renovation of Palo Alto public schools.
While most of the funds will go to support elementary schools, the exact division of money among schools has yet to be decided.
According to Palo Alto High School Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, changes specific to Paly will likely involve renovations to the Tower Building and improvements to the sports fields. Other possibilities include moving the Wellness Center to the Student Center, and renovating the Student Center. The 900s building, containing the auto shop and the robotics lab, is likely to be replaced with a new building.
![Charen Yu (left), the Palo Alto Unified School District chief business officer, presents the updated 2026-2027 budget during Tuesday's board meeting. According to Yu, expenditure changes are the primary reason for the deficit. “[Compared to the adopted budget], certificated salaries are up $18.8 million (which translates to 13.4%), classified salaries are up $11 million (or 17%), benefits are up $5.6 million and all other objects are down $2.9 million,” Yu said. “These are settled agreements with our bargaining partners. They are contractual obligations and they are the primary driver of the change.”](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/budget-presentation-300x225.jpeg)
