Santa Ana Unified School District is asking voters to approve a property tax increase to fund $355 million in renovation and repair projects.
At least 55% of voters need to approve Measure I for it to pass.
Official title on the ballot: Santa Ana Unified School District, Classroom Improvement Measure
You are being asked: Can Santa Ana Unified School District borrow $355 million to fund repairs, renovations and construction?
What your vote means
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A “yes” vote means: The district can borrow $355 million to construct new buildings, repair and renovate existing public schools.
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A “no” vote means: The district cannot borrow $355 million to construct new buildings, repair and renovate existing public schools.
Understanding Measure I
SAUSD serves about 40,000 students across 56 schools. The district wants money to repair and upgrade classrooms and science labs; remove asbestos and lead; and fix roofs, plumbing, and electrical systems, among other things.
School districts rely on voters to approve statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new construction. This year, Santa Ana voters will decide whether to support one of each: the district’s Measure I 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.
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If at least 55% of voters approve Measure I, the Santa Ana Unified School District can issue up to $355 million in bonds to finance specific school facilities projects.
LAist asked the district to name its top priorities for bond funding, but representatives have yet to respond.
SAUSD 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 Santa Ana Unified 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.
Calculate the impact of Measure I on your property tax
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- Find your property’s assessed value on the Orange County Assessor’s website.
- Divide your assessed value by $100,000 and multiply that number by $30.
- The resulting number is the estimate of the annual property tax increase associated with Measure I.
- Remember: Your property’s assessed value will change, but increases are limited to 2% per year, except when a property changes ownership or undergoes new construction.
- Rent? It’s possible that landlords pass increased property taxes on to tenants, but the limits on annual rent hikes depend on where you live.
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.
SAUSD Board President Carolyn Torres and Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Thai Viet Phan are among those who submitted an argument in favor of the bond to the O.C. Registrar.
Read more:
Wasn’t the lottery supposed to fund education?
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The lottery does contribute money to public education — Orange County alone has gotten nearly $3.6 billion since 1985 — but as revenues ballooned in recent years, school funding stagnated.
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When California voters approved the creation of the lottery, the law required 34 cents of every dollar to fund education. In 2010 lawmakers changed the rules giving the lottery the mandate to “maximize” funding for education.
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Now there are bigger jackpots, but fewer dollars for schools. A 2018 LAist investigation found the lottery’s contributions had dropped to 23 cents per dollar.
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And in 2020, the California State Auditor found the lottery “has not provided required funding to education” and shorted schools tens of millions of dollars.
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 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.
The Association has not taken a position on specific local bonds other than LAUSD’s $9 billion Measure US (no) and on Proposition 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.”
Tamiko Anderson, a school board candidate, submitted an argument in opposition to the bond to the O.C. Registrar.
Read more:
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.
Potential financial impact
A bond is basically a loan. The bond authorized by Measure I would be paid back — with interest — through local property taxes.
Further reading
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