During this past election, California Proposition 2 was passed, allowing a $10 billion dollar school construction bond. The success of the proposition will allow the frst construction bond for California since 2016. The bond was passed, winning 58% of California’s votes allowing a lot of opportunity for schools.
Back in August of 2024 LAUSD also approved Measure US which is a 9 billion dollar bond for LAUSD schools that will also help with construction. This was the largest bond in district history that has ever been passed.
“Proposition 2 would allow the state to borrow $10 billion to help fund repairs and upgrades at thousands of public elementary, middle and high schools and community colleges across California,” mentioned in LA Times. Since the last successful construction bond was passed over 7 years ago in 2016, many schools just haven’t had the means to complete or evenget new construction approved. “I saw a report from the Public Policy Institute of California that, 38% of K-12 students attend schools that don’t meet the state’s minimum safety standards,” said Maral Karaccusian, Children and human deputy.
Seeing that many schools can’t meet basic health standards makes this bond passing even more important than it already is. Since schools like ours, in LAUSD use local bond money to complete these projects, it has been hard to get anything fxed or renovated since it has been such an extended period of time since there has been a bond prop for specifcally constriction uses.
Lastly, for some school districts like ours, Proposition 2 will also increase the construction project costs; allowing the state to pay a higher share making it easier to complete the projects. Within the bond there will be multiple uses including 1.5 billion for community colleges, 4 billion for repairs or replacements, 115 million to remove lead from school’s water streams, 600 million for facilities for charter schools, 3.3 billion for new construction throughout all of California’s schools, and 600 million for facilities for technical and career programs.
