The Los Angeles Unified school board has put a $9 billion school construction bond proposal on the November ballot.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the bond request is largest in the history of the district, which is the second largest public school system in the nation.
L.A. Unified is asking for more facilities funding amid steadily declining enrollment — a trend that experts say will ultimately lead to the closing of campuses, including those that are part of the bond spending plan.
The $9 billion amount is “not too much,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said, in the context of a calculated need of $80 billion, alluding to a district estimate.
District officials said in a staff report that the needs “are great — more than 60% of school buildings are over 50 years old and desperately in need of upgrades, which means most of Los Angeles Unified students are attending school in deteriorating and aging facilities that do not meet today’s standards for learning and safety.”
Projections call for about $5 billion for “major modernizations, upgrades and reconfigurations to school campuses.”
Other funding areas include: $75 million for electric buses; $461 million for cafeteria upgrades: $258 million to make spaces accessible for those with disabilities; $70.5 million for security cameras.
About $1.25 billion is to go toward school greening projects. These could include planting trees, removing asphalt from playgrounds, installing outdoor classrooms and erecting shade structures.
About $300 million is provisionally set aside for charter schools, which enroll about 22% of district students.
Also on the November ballot is a statewide referendum that would allow the state to borrow $10 billion to help pay for repairs and upgrades at school districts and community colleges.
L.A. officials estimate that the district could be eligible for about $700 million from the state's bond issue if voters approve it.
