A $9-billion school construction bond is headed to Los Angeles voters’ November ballots, after the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved it in a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 7.
The bond, which would fund facilities repairs and upgrades at hundreds of LAUSD schools, is estimated to raise annual property taxes by 25 cents for every $100 of a home’s assessed value. So owners of a home worth $1 million would be paying about $250 more a year.
The bond needs a 55% approval by voters to pass, and would fund several projects including ones to replace deteriorating HVAC systems, fix leaky roofs, ensure schools are safer and seismically sound, improve access for students with disabilities and expand campus green spaces.
According to LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, more than 60% of school buildings are 50 years old or older, with outdated infrastructure.
“These are investments — in our students, our workforce, our schools and the local economy,” Carvalho said. “We cannot ignore that despite our terrific improvements over the past years, there’s still a huge unmet need that needs to be addressed. I’ve seen firsthand our aging facilities.”
The board’s move to put the bond on the ballot comes in addition to the potential funds from Proposition 2, which voters will also decide on in November. Prop. 2 would bring in $10 billion for education facilities statewide. LAUSD officials estimate the district would receive about $700 million of Prop. 2 funding.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association opposes the proposed LAUSD bond, due to the property tax increases it would impose.
Jon Coupal, the association’s president, said, “We believe that Los Angeles taxpayers are already paying too much. There are just inordinate costs in California at this point.”
District board members said the costs are worth it for overdue infrastructure repairs and improvements. Carvalho said the district’s estimated total infrastructure needs are near $80 billion, and this bond would “be critical” in addressing some of those needs.
The bulk of the proposed LAUSD bond — nearly $5 billion — would go toward modernizing or replacing old or structurally deficient buildings, classrooms and outdoor structures.
About $1.25 billion would go toward school greening projects, including installing outdoor shade structures, planting trees and removing hot asphalt from play areas. Other investments would include $886 million for information technology upgrades, $461 million for cafeteria upgrades and $75 million for electric buses.
Lauren Ahkiam, an LAUSD parent and representative of L.A. Alliance for a New Economy, spoke in favor of the bond because of the several climate-friendly allocations.
“This is a critically important item,” Ahkiam said. “We have seen in our work on climate the need for increased investments, in terms of the benefits to students and to their families, as well as the benefits to LAUSD staff.”
While most of the public speakers at LAUSD’s Wednesday special meeting voiced support for the bond, some raised concerns about the speedy timeframe with which it was proposed and voted on.
The board held its special meeting on Wednesday, a day after the bond was publicized on the agenda. The vote had to occur before Friday, Aug. 8, which is the deadline to submit materials to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office to place a matter on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Michael Hamner, the chair of LAUSD’s Bond Oversight Committee, said, “The lack of adequate engagement or notice raises concerns.”
Hamner added, “We understand the district’s infrastructure needs are greater than the pool of resources currently available to fund them, but the process by which this bond measure was developed and put forward — without consultation of key stakeholders groups such as ourselves, and therefore outside (of) public view — prevents us from providing any meaningful comment.”
Maria Luisa Palma, an LAUSD parent, said she was “dismayed by the only one-day notice.”
Carvalho responded to their concerns by saying, “This has been a condensed timeline” but “this is a dynamic process and we will not skip any step in ensuring that every single stakeholder group in our community will be addressed, and their opinions shall be considered.”
At the Wednesday meeting, LAUSD board member Rocío Rivas said the bond was urgently needed, recalling rainy spring days when she saw buckets line some school hallways due to leaky roofs.
“There’s a lot that needs to be fixed,” Rivas said. “Students experience these facility issues and they make comments to their teachers and administrators. I feel their frustration.”
