Friday, October 30, 1998
School bond-measure up for vote
ELECTIONS: Prop. 1A aims to fund building projects for
education
By Hannah Miller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The problem with class size reduction, the measure which shrunk
California kindergartens to 20 students two years ago, is that
schools needed room to grow.
The state had to hire thousands of new teachers on emergency
credentials, but finding enough classrooms was another headache,
especially in already-overcrowded districts. The Legislature
devoted $530 million to house the new classes of 20, most of which
went to portable classrooms.
Schools estimated they needed $500-700 million more for
facilities – and that was only to reduce kindergarten through
fourth grade.
So, Proposition 1A was born. The measure (which passed by a
101-15 margin in the legislature) would sell $9.2 billion in bonds
for school construction and repair, of which $6.7 billion would go
to K-12 and $2.5 billion to higher education.
The money is broken down into allotments for new schools, fixing
old schools and to pay for local districts that can’t afford to
match the funds.
UCLA has already decided where it wants to spend the money – and
in fact, the UC Regents are banking on Prop. 1A passing (see
related story).
"Today, facilities are aging, many are outmoded, and most are in
need of repair," said Bill Hauch of the California Business
Roundtable.
Education in California is a very expensive matter – the
legislative analyst figured that new construction alone would cost
several billions over the next five years, and that’s just to take
care of the projected growth of 300,000.
The problem is at its worst in Los Angeles Unified School
District, where enrollment has grown 9.4 percent in the last four
years – and is expected to bloom another 11 percent in the next
four.
Housing an additional 140,000 children in eight years has caused
schools to resort to emergency measures such as holding classes in
libraries and buying cheap portable classrooms.
But this huge expenditure is also what causes criticism.
Opponents to the measure worry that it will result in tax
increases and also argue that schools are overfunded.
"They’ve already got $6.5 billion in local bonds over the last 2
years," said Norm Rogers, a Davis businessman who is campaigning
against the measure. "Plus they get $31 billion a year from the
state, plus additional money."
Opponents also charge that such a massive lump-sum wouldn’t have
been necessary if local school districts had continually funded
maintenance on their schools.
"If the roof is leaking, it has nothing to do with money," said
Rogers. "It’s just incompetence."
Proponents answer that argument by pointing out that bond
measures aren’t easy to pass, because they require a two-thirds
majority. Although L.A. County voters passed Proposition BB last
year, not all local districts have been amenable to the idea.
And for the tax argument, proponents say that the charges just
aren’t true. They point to the measure’s endorsement by the
California Taxpayers Association.
"By failing to invest in our future, we are denying the next
generation the opportunities that have given California one of the
most diverse, creative and expansive economies in the world," said
Hauch of the Business Roundtable.
To some extent, the outcome of this election will decide the
future of school expansion.
The LAUSD, for one, is hoping that the measure passes. The board
recently approved a $1.82 billion master plan that will take funds
from Proposition BB (the city bond measure passed last year) and
Proposition 1A to build 51 new schools.
In addition, Sacramento is talking about expanding the class
size reduction to more than fourth graders. The success or failure
of this measure will affect the feasibility of whether the state
can try that.
The total financial impact for the plan should be $15 billion,
which includes the principal of $9.2 billion plus interest of $6
billion if the state takes 25 years to pay it back.
"Prop. 1A," said Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa in a
statement, "is the crown jewel of this legislature’s
achievements."
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