Los Angeles Unified is seeking voter approval for a $9 billion bond measure to repair and upgrade its aging school buildings.
The bond, which Californians will vote on Tuesday as Measure US, would be LAUSD’s largest ever and would be paid for with property tax increases. A 55% majority is required to pass.
LAUSD board members issued a resolution in August calling for the measure, citing reports from the district detailing structural deficiencies and deferred maintenance in the district’s school buildings, which number more than 13,500.
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Unlike many other states, California does not set aside funding for school capital projects in its annual state budget. Such projects are instead paid for by bonds issued at the state or local level, which are typically financed by property taxes.
Voters in Los Angeles often support school construction legislation such as Measure US. Headwinds facing the bond include declining enrollment in LAUSD, an ongoing budget crisis and a government bond for school construction scheduled for this year.
Measure US is supported by members of the LAUSD board of directors, District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the teachers union and local construction groups. It is opposed by some taxpayer advocacy groups and has been criticized by members of the local charter school community.
Carvalho argued the bond is needed at a board meeting to introduce Measure US in August. “I have seen firsthand our aging and antiquated facilities, in many cases our substandard learning environments, our lack of green space, our lack of outdoor space,” Carvalho said.
Here are five things to know about the $9 billion bond:
1. LA’s school buildings need help.
LA Unified, the nation’s second-largest district, has more than 1,500 schools spread over 450 square miles. As is often the case in large urban districts, many Los Angeles school buildings are older and some are in rough shape.
At least 60% of the district’s schools were built before 1975, according to LAUSD figures. Many of those older buildings need upgrades and renovations, such as new roofs, ventilation systems, seismic updates or technical upgrades. According to LAUSD’s own estimates, the district will need to replace approximately 50,000 HVAC units, two million square feet of plumbing and 18 million square feet of roofing.
LA Unified school buildings also suffer from a lack of green space and accessible facilities for students with disabilities. In addition, the district has also highlighted the need to invest in technology for its schools, such as video camera systems and alarm and monitoring systems to improve campus safety.
2. Even $9 billion won’t solve the district’s construction problems.
By the district’s own estimates, $9 billion will not fully cover the cost of necessary upgrades and repairs to school buildings. Carvalho says the district actually needs at least $80 billion to fully repair and modernize its schools.
Another problem with LA Unified school buildings is that there are too many of them and they are too big. District officials have said the school system was built for about 650,000 students, but fewer than 410,000 students are now enrolled in LAUSD schools with district-run TK-12 programs.
With no end in sight to enrollment declines, a thorny problem facing LAUSD is what to do with all those classrooms when they’re not being used by students. Carvalho has said closing schools is on the table, but so far the district has avoided that.
3. The state is giving its own $10 billion school construction bond to voters this year.
State lawmakers this year put a statewide bill before voters for a separate set of bonds for school buildings. Proposition 2 would fund repairs and upgrades at public schools and community colleges across the state.
Los Angeles Unified will get from the legislation only a small portion of the $10 billion included in the state bond, an amount that district officials say is far too small to meet facility needs there.
And that’s not all when it comes to school repairs for California this election cycle — in addition to the statewide measure and the measure on the LA ballot, 252 counties around the state also have school building bonds available to voters next week.
4. Charter schools could be shortchanged by LA’s measure.
Measure US sets aside $300 million for charter schools of the total $9 billion it plans to borrow from voters and pay for with a bond.
California Charter Schools Association Vice President Keith Dell’Aquila said these allocations fall short of charter schools, which represent about 22% of enrollment in LAUSD, including district schools.
“Twenty-two percent of students should see and benefit from more than three percent of the revenue,” Dell’Aquila said during an August board meeting to discuss the bond.
“We have to work together and work together,” he added. “We see the same challenges: the leaking roofs, insufficient space for special education, too much concrete and too little grass, the need to reinvest and modernize our schools.”
