LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education agreed Aug. 7 to place a $9 billion school-improvement bond measure on the November ballot.
According to a staff report submitted to the board by Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the proposed bond measure would “provide funds to upgrade, modernize, and replace aging and deteriorating school facilities, including school technology infrastructure and equipment, to provide safe, up-to-date facilities for 21st century student learning and college and career preparedness; enhance accessibility; support the health and well-being of students by enhancing and expanding outdoor spaces and food services for students; and promote energy efficiency.”
On the ballot, the measure will require approval from 55 percent of voters.
If approved, the bond measure would translate to an increase in property taxes within the district, estimated at 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, prompting opposition from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
“At a time when Los Angeles homeowners are struggling to pay the high cost of living, including skyrocketing utility bills, this bond would sharply increase property taxes,” Susan Shelley, the association’s vice president for communications, told the Los Angeles Times.
She estimated that over 30 years, the bond measure would cost the owner of a median-priced home more than $8,200 in increased property taxes.
According to Carvalho’s report to the board, more than 60 percent of the district’s school buildings are more than 50 years old and are “desperately in need of upgrades.”
“Despite the upgrades that have already been completed or are underway, current estimates show that collectively Los Angeles Unified schools have over $80 billion of unfunded school facility and technology needs, and those needs grow every year,” according to the report.
- enhance campus safety and earthquake resilience;
- modernize aging and deteriorating facilities;
- upgrade school buildings to ensure they are “functional places for teaching and learning”;
- improve access for people with disabilities;
- reduce “disparities” in facilities between newer and older campuses to “provide equitable learning environments across the district”;
- upgrade educational technology, internet, and digital tools;
- enhance and expand outdoor spaces and food services; and
- promote energy efficiency in school buildings and other infrastructure, including the transition to electric school buses.
The LAUSD board voted unanimously in favor of putting the matter on the ballot.