GO Bond 3 Will Provide $5 Million for NNMC Campus Revitalization Without Raising Property Taxes

This fall, voters in Rio Arriba County will be asked to invest in the state’s public colleges, universities and specialty schools. Higher Education General Obligation Bond 3 (referred to as GO Bond 3) is asking voters to approve more than $351.57 million to fund needed renovations, upgrades and replacement of outdated, aging facilities. Voting "yes" on GO Bond 3 will not increase property tax rates.

If Higher Education Bond 3 passes in the November 2026 General Election, Northern New Mexico College will receive $5 million. With this critical funding, NNMC will continue its campaign to refresh the entire Española Campus, revitalizing buildings that have not been renovated in decades, protecting the investment that our state has already made in our campus. More importantly, this will create a student-centered learning environment that will support students and give them a transformed experience as they pursue their education. Our students need and deserve safe, up-to-date areas in which to learn, dream, grow and plan for the future. They deserve educational programs such as ours that help secure their financial future and move our state ahead.

This revitalization effort will include replacing windows for energy efficiency, refinishing building exteriors, and targeted improvements in classrooms, labs, offices, and extracurricular learning spaces. There is nothing showy about these improvements to our campus, but they can improve the quality of the campus experience for our students immeasurably. 

For many of New Mexico’s colleges, universities and specialty schools, including Northern New Mexico College, GO Bond 3 is the primary source of adequate funding to allow them to maintain and modernize facilities taxpayers have already paid for, improve safety and technology and boost degree or career training programs that give New Mexico students the knowledge and skills they need to pursue high-paying, in-demand careers.

“Our students are the real recipients of the funding provided by GO Bond 3, and the community’s support for this critical funding will ensure they have the transformational educational experience they deserve,” said NNMC President Hector Balderas. “Northern is proud to offer students in Rio Arriba County the opportunity to pursue their dreams and access educational and career opportunities that support their families and develop them into the future leaders of our communities, and this funding is critical to supporting them in those pursuits.”

Northern’s Board of Regents, Faculty Senate and Staff Senate have all passed resolutions in support of GO Bond 3.

The 2026 GO Bond 3 ballot measure would fund critical projects to meet our state’s needs, including a new medical school that would allow us to train double the number of doctors to address our doctor shortage, a Reforestation Center to help rebuild areas affected by wildfires and floods and needed updates to technology that allow colleges and universities to provide remote education to students in rural areas

These voter-approved funds are crucial to ensuring our schools remain competitive to attract the best and brightest students and faculty as well as provide a quality education. 

Voting yes on GO Bond 3 will not only invest more than $351,575,000 into our state’s colleges, universities and specialty schools, but will also do this without increasing the burden on New Mexico’s taxpayers by raising property tax rates. 

Absentee voting and in-person early voting begin on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. Expanded early voting is scheduled from Saturday, Oct.17 to Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, with polls open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For additional information about General Obligation Bond 3, including a detailed list of projects the bond would fund throughout New Mexico, visit www.HigherEdBond3.com.