Voters across California dealt a stinging blow to school districts hoping to fund campus repairs, as nearly half of the local bond measures on last week’s ballot appear headed for defeat — a result that has left many school officials in the Inland Empire and beyond scrambling for alternatives.
With many counties still finalizing vote counts, early returns show that of the 86 school bond measures put before voters statewide, worth a combined $12.4 billion, only 50 had passed or were on track to pass as of late last week. School bonds require 55% approval to take effect, a threshold that proved out of reach for dozens of districts this cycle.
“It’s a shocking outcome,” said Sara Hinkley, director of policy and research at UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities and Schools. “This leaves some school districts with very few options. I’m sure they’re sweating.”
The total amount sought this year was notably smaller than in past election cycles — roughly a quarter of what districts asked for two years ago, when most bonds succeeded. Even so, the failure rate this time around has caught many education leaders off guard.
Local officials pointed to economic pressures as the likely culprit. Mays Kakish, superintendent of Beaumont Unified School District in the Inland Empire, said rising costs for everyday essentials have made voters wary of new taxes, even when the cause is their local schools.
“Everyone wants what is best for the kids, but when gas, groceries and utilities are cutting into people’s budget, they have to find places to save,” Kakish said. “In the short term, this loss of funding will be painful.”
Beaumont Unified, one of the rare growing districts in the state, had hoped the failed $86 million bond would help address a backlog of maintenance needs, including 138 roof leaks reported last year and 81 aging portable classrooms in need of replacement, according to district spokesman Thomas Guzowski.
The setback is compounded by the fact that Beaumont may now be locked out of matching state funds available through Proposition 2, the $10 billion statewide school construction bond voters approved last year. Districts must provide local matching dollars to tap into that funding — something Beaumont can’t do without its own bond revenue.
Even districts that do qualify may find the well running dry. Much of the Proposition 2 funding earmarked for repairs has already been allocated, leaving a long waiting list of districts hoping for help with basic maintenance such as fixing leaky roofs.
Advocates say the funding system tends to favor wealthier communities. John Affeldt, managing attorney with the public interest law firm Public Advocates, said local bonds in affluent areas — often in places like Orange County and the Bay Area — tend to be larger and more likely to pass, allowing those districts to access state matching funds more easily. Districts in lower-income communities, by contrast, often ask for smaller amounts and face higher failure rates.
“Those who have more, get more,” Affeldt said. “It’s an unfair system, and part of a long pattern of the state’s failed system of financing facilities.”
Affeldt’s organization has filed a lawsuit challenging the structure of Proposition 2, arguing it worsens inequities between rich and poor districts. A judge previously declined to block the funding formula but acknowledged the plaintiffs had a “reasonable chance of succeeding” on parts of their case, which remains pending.
Not every district came away empty-handed. San Diego Unified pulled off one of the biggest wins in the state, with voters approving a $3.4 billion bond — the largest of its kind in California this cycle. The money will fund a long list of campus upgrades, including new swimming pools, performing arts facilities, staff housing, modern air conditioning systems and improved security infrastructure. Homeowners in the district will see an average annual cost of $294.
“It was a great night. I’m still on a high,” said school board vice president Sabrina Bazzo. “This means that all students in our district — not just those in wealthy neighborhoods — will get access to high-quality facilities.”
Bazzo credited the bond’s passage to strong community backing, including support from labor unions after the district agreed to prioritize local union labor for construction projects. Even the region’s taxpayer watchdog group backed the measure, in part because it replaced — rather than added to — an existing 2022 bond.
Elsewhere, the picture looks far less promising. In the Central Valley, Visalia Unified’s $158 million bond request appears headed for defeat.
“The economy is challenging right now for a lot of folks,” said Superintendent Kirk Shrum. “I’m disappointed, thinking about what we could have done — upgraded bathrooms, new furniture — and now we have to wait.”
More than 70% of the district’s school buildings are at least half a century old, Shrum said. A districtwide facilities assessment found $600 million worth of needed repairs, but officials scaled back their request to $158 million to cover only the most pressing projects.
Without the additional funding, Shrum said the district will have to continue patching problems as they arise, diverting money from other budget areas to cover urgent repairs.
“You get stuck in a cycle of replace and repair when things break,” Shrum said. “But you can patch a roof only so many times.”
Original source: CalMatters
