Los Angeles Unified District puts $7 billion bond request on November ballot

The Los Angeles school board has put a $7 billion construction bond issue on the November ballot.

The district says the bonds would enable it to continue its multiyear effort to upgrade school facilities.

“The funds from this bond measure would help continue to upgrade facilities without an increase in tax rates,” Superintendent Austin Beutner says.

In addition to bringing aging campuses up to modern learning standards, the bond would enable Los Angeles Unified to improve accessibility and earthquake safety, expand early childhood and adult education programs, add wellness clinics, upgrade school cafeterias, and provide cleaner school buses and renewable energy.

About 70% of the district's school buildings are more than 50 years old, the district says.

Bond proceeds would also help address facilities needs to adapt to a post-Covid-19 learning environment.

The bond proposal would generate an estimated $329,528,000 annually until about 2055.

The existing construction and modernization program has built more than 100 new schools, replaced fire alarms, air conditioning systems and roofs at more than 500 schools, upgraded science labs, enabled technology use at schools and created more than 350,000 jobs.

Comprehensive modernization projects are under way at 22 schools, the district says.