The Los Angeles Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to put a $9 billion school construction bond on the November ballot, the largest in school district history and comparable in size to the $10 billion statewide school bond measure already before voters.
If approved by at least 55 percent of voters, the Los Angeles Unified School District bond would raise property taxes on moderately priced homes by about $273 a year, according to estimates from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. A district spokesman said the median impact would be closer to $100 and said the fees would be based on the home’s assessed value, not market value.
The overall tax rate would be $25 per year per $100,000 of assessed value, in addition to fees already included in the property tax bill for other purposes, including repayment of earlier school bonds.
“The time is now,” the Los Angeles school inspector said. Alberto Carvalho during Wednesday’s special session. “I know this is a hard question to answer. It’s never easy, but what we do defines who we are.
Making the matter even more problematic, L.A. Unified is asking for more facilities funding amid steady enrollment declines — a trend that experts say will eventually lead to campus closures, including those that are part of the bond spending plan campus.
Carvalho said $9 billion is “not that much” given the calculated need is $80 billion, referring to regional estimates.
The benefits and costs of these bonds apply only to areas within the boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified School District. That includes the city of Los Angeles, as well as all or parts of about two dozen smaller cities, including Bell, Maywood, South Gate and San Fernando.
At Wednesday’s meeting, nearly all public speakers strongly supported the bond, although some objected to the details.
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Against bonds.
“This bond would significantly increase property taxes at a time when Los Angeles homeowners are struggling to pay the high cost of living, including skyrocketing utility bills,” said Susan Shelley, the group’s vice president of communications.
“With enrollment declining, taxpayers have the right to demand all possible cost savings before school districts ask for another tax increase,” she added.
Los Angeles school officials said in a staff report that the needs are “significant — more than 60 percent of school buildings are more than 50 years old and in dire need of upgrades, meaning most LA Unified students are living in deteriorating and aging facilities. “school in school” does not meet today’s learning and safety standards. ”
The meeting was scheduled with 24 hours’ notice – the legal minimum. The board faces a Friday deadline to put the bond issue on the November ballot.
How will the bond funds be used?
The initiative’s summary mentions the need to “upgrade, modernize and replace aging and deteriorating school facilities, including school technology infrastructure and equipment.”
Goals also include “enhancing and expanding outdoor spaces and dining services for students” and improving “energy efficiency.”
About $5 billion is expected to be needed for “significant modernization, upgrades and reconfiguration of the campus.”
Other funding areas include: $75 million for electric buses; $461 million for cafeteria upgrades; $258 million to provide accessible spaces for people with disabilities; $70.5 million for security cameras.
About $1.25 billion will be spent on school greening projects. These could include planting trees, clearing asphalt from playgrounds, installing outdoor classrooms and building shade structures.
Mireya Valencia, program director for the LA Neighborhood Land Trust, called for more and said such an effort would cost about $3 billion.
About $300 million is temporarily set aside for charter schools, which enroll about 22% of the district’s students. Keith Dell-Aquila, an advocate with the California Charter Schools Association, said that number is too low. He added that the district should adjust its plans for how to use the funds.
District officials said they are flexible on spending decisions but did not commit to specific changes.
Charter schools are private public schools that often utilize available space on school district-operated campuses. The Chartered Institute has not yet taken a position on the bond.
All board members expressed their appreciation for the upcoming bond issuance. But board member Nick Melvin said the district needs to examine its building practices.
“Things need to be done more efficiently, faster and cheaper,” Melvin said. “We need to work harder, we need to do better.”
A history of overcrowding
From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, the school system responded to overcrowding by operating year-round, but the school calendar reduced the number of days students could attend school by nearly a month. And scheduling constraints prevent many students from taking advanced courses. Meanwhile, the playground turned into a sea of asphalt, broken up by portable teaching buildings.
In response, the school system has passed a series of bonds since the late 1990s.
High construction costs narrowed the initial scope of the program, but the efforts allowed students to return to a full school year and return to nearby schools. This is possible in part because enrollment began a steady decline that continues.
New challenges in 2024
The current challenge is to rehabilitate the aging campus and modernize and improve classrooms and school buildings.
Existing construction plans are not yet short of money. About $3.5 billion is allocated to projects that have been approved but have not yet been tendered. Another $1.8 billion is earmarked for projects that have not yet been approved by the Board of Education.
One example of the current wave of plans is the ongoing redevelopment of Belvedere Middle School in East Los Angeles and Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights.
Bond-funded construction work also could be seen Monday at Jordan High School in Watts. Bond funds were used to build a health clinic to serve the physical and mental health needs of families in a low-income community experiencing a health care shortage.
The clinic first opened in 2008, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unable to continue operating. A new provider, UMMA Community Clinic, is taking over the renovated facility.
“The facts behind us prove that what is happening in this community is still not reality. [in] Many other communities,” Carvalho said at the clinic’s grand opening. “So continued investment in physical infrastructure like these health centers, air conditioning, roofing, window replacement, etc. All the things we want to see in every community continue to be a priority for our school district and our school board.
What about public school bonds?
Proposition 2 would allow states to borrow $10 billion to fund repairs and upgrades to school districts and community colleges.
The last successful school bond, passed in 2016, has long since spent its money, and the state’s school maintenance fund is expected to be depleted by January. Some districts are awaiting passage of new bonds to provide $3.4 billion for already-approved projects to address dangerous mold, leaky roofs and septic systems, as well as build classrooms, modernize science labs and replace aging facilities. things.
If approved by a simple majority of voters, the bond would allow lawmakers to borrow money and pay it back over time from the state budget.
Los Angeles officials estimate the district could be eligible for about $700 million in state bonds.
