The Lowell Joint School District is asking voters to approve a property tax increase to fund $54 million in renovation and repair projects.

At least 55% of voters need to approve Measure P for it to pass.

Official title on the ballot: Lowell Joint School District Measure P

Understanding Measure P

The Lowell Joint School District serves about 3,000 students across six schools located in both Los Angeles and Orange County.

The district is asking voters to approve funding to construct, repair, and update classrooms, science labs and other school facilities, and improve access for students with disabilities.

School districts rely on voters to approve statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new construction. This year, La Habra, La Habra Heights, and Whittier voters will decide whether to support one of each: the district’s Measure P and the statewide Proposition 2. (We’ve got a voter guide for that one, too.)

A bond is basically a loan that a school district takes out, and which property owners in that school district pay back through property taxes.

If at least 55% of voters approve Measure P, the Lowell Joint School District can issue up to $54 million in bonds to finance specific school facilities projects.

The district told LAist in a survey that the top three priorities are:

• replacing aging portables with permanent modular classrooms;
• providing classrooms and facilities for high quality instruction in math, science, engineering/technology, career technology, and performing arts; and
• improving student safety, security and accessibility.

Superintendent Jim Coombs told LAist that past bond-funded projects were completed in five years instead of the estimated nine.

"The diligent focus on efficient construction management and fiscal oversight has resulted in a $7.1 million dollar savings that was never assessed to the taxpayers," Coombs said.

The money borrowed through the measure would be paid back through a property tax. The district estimates the bond would cost property-owners that live within the school district's boundaries an average of $30 per $100,000 of assessed value. There’s also a possibility that the district could get additional state funding if Prop 2 passes.

Districts cannot spend bond money on employee salaries and are required to commission independent audits of bond spending.

What supporters of school bonds say

Research links higher student achievement to better quality schools — it’s easier to learn in clean, climate-controlled, well-lit classrooms.

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.

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

If the state and local 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,” said Sara Hinkley, the California program manager at the Center for Cities + Schools at UC Berkeley.

Several residents submitted an argument in favor of the bond to the L.A. County and OC Registrars.

Read more:

• The district's case for Measure P
• Neighbors for Lowell Schools – Yes on P

What critics of school bonds say

Critics of bonds often say the cost to property owners is too high and question why school districts with declining enrollment need money for construction when they’re serving fewer students.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a frequent opponent of state and local school bonds. The nonprofit is dedicated to upholding Prop. 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.

The Association has not taken a position on specific local bonds other than LAUSD’s $9 billion Measure US (no) and on Prop. 2 (also no).

Shelley said voters weighing school bonds 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.”

No individual or group submitted an argument in opposition to the bond to the O.C.or L.A. County Registrars.

Who is in charge of all this money?

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

• 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. 
• Independent, annual performance audits of bond-funded projects and spending 

How long would construction take?

While districts identify projects that could benefit from improvements, that list is not a guarantee of which projects will be funded.

There are often years of community meetings, design, and permitting between the passage of a bond and the start of construction, though minor renovation projects could be completed sooner.

Voters passed the $48 million Measure LL in 2018. The district told LAist it used the money to repair 60-year-old roofs, air conditioning, associated electrical, gas, and water infrastructure, and to increase accessibility for people with disabilities.

Potential financial impact

A bond is basically a loan. The bond authorized by Measure P would be paid back — with interest — through local property taxes.

Further reading

• What is a bond? Why am I always being asked to vote for one?

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