This fall, dozens of school districts throughout Southern California are asking voters to approve billions of dollars in bonds to repair and renovate aging campuses.

• In L.A. County: 26 school districts are seeking $15 billion. Here are our guides to each of them.
• In Orange County: Nine school districts are seeking $2 billion. Here are our guides to each of them.

The size of the bond and the resulting change in property taxes varies from district to district, but these requests all exist in the context of a school facilities funding system that’s failed to meet some schools' needs for decades.

This guide will help you understand the basics of school facilities funding so you can make an informed vote on your local bond.

Understanding school bonds

In California, there’s no dedicated stream of funding to support the upkeep of the 10,000 public K-12 schools attended by 5.9 million students.

The majority of the money schools receive from the state every year supports students, staff salaries and other day-to-day expenses.

School districts rely on voters to approve statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new construction. A bond is basically a loan that a school district takes out, and which property owners in that school district pay back through an increase in property taxes.

In the last decade, an average of 59% of local school bonds passed in every given year.

Does the state help?

When it has money. The last statewide bond for community colleges and K-12 schools passed in 2016 and voters rejected a school facilities bond in March 2020 for the first time since 1994. The Office of Public School Construction estimates California’s fund for repairs and construction will be empty by February 2025. There’s a growing backlog — as of August, schools have submitted an additional $3.9 billion of school modernization and construction projects.

It’s more rare, but the state can also appropriate money for school renovations and construction without a bond. The Legislative Analyst’s Office found the state kicked in an additional $4.6 billion for facilities projects in recent years.

Fees charged on industrial, commercial and residential development are another, though much smaller, source of funding.

The state has a new bond on this year’s ballot. If passed, Proposition 2 would provide $8.5 billion for K-12 school facilities projects. (Community colleges would also benefit from the passage of Prop 2. You can read more about them here.)

But the vast majority of districts also need to raise money locally to access matching funds from the state.

Proposition 2 requires local school districts to provide:

• 45-50% of the funding for new construction
• 35-40% of the funding for renovations

Districts that are able to raise fewer local dollars for school facilities, and those that serve larger populations of low-income students, English language learners, and foster youth will pay a smaller share of the construction costs than more-affluent districts.

School districts that are unable to raise at least $15 million may apply for additional state funding.

How do local bonds work?

All of the local school bonds in L.A. and Orange County require a 55% yes vote to pass. (Prior to a 2000 prop, local school bonds required a two-thirds “supermajority” vote.)

The amount of money a school district can raise is based on a percentage of the total assessed value of all the taxable property in the district.

The debt limit:

• For elementary and secondary school districts is 1.25%
• For unified school districts is 2.5%

In effect, districts with less valuable property can’t raise as much money as districts with pricier homes and commercial developments — even if they have more students or a greater need for funding.

What bonds are on the 2024 ballot?

We've compiled a list for L.A. County and Orange County.

Is school facilities funding fair?

California school facilities funding is not distributed equally. Research shows the existing facilities funding system favors larger, more affluent school districts.

Remember: Proceeds from state bonds like Prop. 2 are given out as matching grants — they require districts to chip in money to get money.

Districts raise funding through property taxes; the amount of money they can bring in through local bond measures is restricted to a certain percentage of a property’s assessed value.

What that means: Districts with higher value property (more expensive houses and lucrative commercial properties) can collect more money; some districts can fund repairs without the state’s help. Districts in poorer communities can raise fewer dollars — even if they serve more students — and are more reliant on limited state funding.

Put simply, “the more money you can raise, the more money you'll get from the state,” said Sara Hinkley, the California program manager at the Center for Cities + Schools at UC Berkeley.

Some wealthier districts can afford to fund projects and wait for future reimbursement while a lack of funding stops projects in poorer districts from starting at all.

“Lower income and smaller school communities will always be playing catch up and will never be able to compete in terms of facilities with other larger or wealthier communities because of the way the system has been set up,” said Lynwood Unified School District Superintendent Gudiel R. Crosthwaite.

Clockwise from top left: Rooms and buildings in various states of disrepair at Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, San Gabriel Unified School District, Manhattan Beach Unified School District and Centinela Valley Unified School District.

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Photo collage by Ross Brenneman

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That southeast Los Angeles district of about 12,000 students will ask voters to approve an $80 million bond in the fall. Meanwhile, Manhattan Beach Unified, which serves about half as many students, can raise more than double the amount of funding with its bond, while charging a lower property tax rate.

Earlier this year, a public interest law firm threatened to sue the state if it did not change how it distributed school facilities funding.

Hinkley said while the state’s program for building and maintaining schools needs work, if the state and local funding measures fail, the need for funding will remain.

“Those buildings are not going to magically renovate themselves while we're waiting for a better bond,” Hinkley said.

Renovated schools vs. outdated schools

The California Department of Education estimates that nearly a third of California schools are at least 50 years old — and many districts report that age is starting to show.

LAist surveyed Southern California districts with bonds and they reported:

• Leaky roofs
• Damaged plumbing
• Failing heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) and electrical systems
• Aging portable classrooms
• A need to retrofit buildings to withstand earthquakes and fire

Throughout California, 38% of K-12 students go to schools that do not meet the minimum standard to be considered clean, safe, and functional.

Poorly maintained schools are prone to disruption during extreme weather, like September’s heat wave and the historic storms last winter. They may even pose health risks to students and staff.

The theatre/auditorium space at Woodrow Wilson Elementary that is currently being used as a cafeteria.

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Ashley Balderrama

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When the roofs leak in the Lynwood Unified School District, some teachers are displaced from their classrooms.

“Students lose learning minutes when they have to pack up all their things,” said Gretchen Janson, assistant superintendent for business services in the district. “Teachers can't be as effective at being instructors when they don't have all their materials with them, when they can't be as prepared as they plan to be.”

Research ties the quality of school facilities to student achievement — it’s easier to learn in clean, climate-controlled, well-lit classrooms.

For example, San Pedro High School is in the midst of a renovation and recently debuted four new chemistry labs funded by a previous bond.

The classrooms have safety showers, eyewash stations and hoods to whisk away chemical fumes.

“I'm gonna be honest, the rest of the school, it's definitely a little dated, but our science labs downstairs are amazing,“ said senior Taya Olson. ”I think It's gonna spur a lot of innovation and hopefully some more information that we'll be able to learn from and apply later on.”

How much will this cost?

To determine that, we need the help of the county assessor, an elected government official in charge of an agency that tracks and determines property values. The assessor then calculates property taxes based on those values. The impact of school bonds on property taxes varies from district to district.

To find the average estimated cost of your district’s bond, look for the language: “levying X dollars per $100,000 of assessed valuation.” (Sometimes, this will be listed as “levying X cents per $100 of assessed valuation.” The end result is basically the same.)

In some cases, residents do not see a property tax increase because the district structured the new bond so that as a prior voter-approved funding measure tapers off, the new tax kicks in and the cost to property owners is unchanged.

Who is in charge of all this money?

State law lays out several accountability measures for local school district bonds including:

• Indpendendent, annual performance audits of bond-funded projects and spending 
• The creation of an independent bond oversight committee that includes:
  
  • At least seven members
  • Representatives of the business community, taxpayers, and parents. School district employees, vendors, contractors, and consultants cannot be appointed. 

Search for your district’s bond oversight committee website to see upcoming agendas, summaries of past meetings, audits, and other information about how the district has spent bond funding.

You can also ask your school district if they have a facilities master plan. This document is typically created with community input, over the course of months or years, to plan renovation and construction projects.

“Any district that's asking its community to pass a local bond has done that work and has that data and information available to their local communities,” said Rebekah Kalleen, a legislative advocate for the Coalition for Adequate School Housing.

Why might people vote against bonds?

Critics of bonds say the cost to property owners is too high and question why school districts need money for construction amid declining enrollment.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a frequent opponent of state and local school bonds. The nonprofit is dedicated to upholding Proposition 13, the 1978 constitutional amendment that limited changes to California property taxes.

“We think bond financing has its place, but it should be judicious because it raises property taxes at the local level,” said Susan Shelley, HJTA’s vice president of communications. “It increases the debt burden on future budgets because bond payments have to be made ahead of current needs in the budget.”

The Association urges a no vote on LAUSD’s $9 billion bond and on Proposition 2.

Shelley said voters in other districts should carefully consider how the school spent previous bond funding and the plans for future projects.

“You should have confidence that the priorities are right,” Shelley said. “And if they're not, say no and make [the district] come back to you with a better plan.”

Further reading

• LAist Voter Game Plan: Your guide to understanding Proposition 2 on the Nov. 5 ballot
• EdSource: Nearly all school parcel taxes pass, but mixed results for school bonds in March election— A recap of school funding outcomes in the March primary.
• CalMatters: With California school bonds, the rich get richer and the poor, not so much— An analysis that describes how weather communities benefit from more local bond money.
• California State Auditor: California Needs Additional Funding and a More Equitable Approach for Modernizing Its School Facilities— A report from the nonpartisan office tasked with evaluating state finances and various programs
• Moving to Equity: California School Facility Program Reform— A blog from the UC Berkeley Center for Cities + Schools that breaks down how California’s School Facility Program disproportionately funds higher-wealth districts.

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This voter guide originally published Sept. 23.