The Local Public Schools Funding Authority is asking South Bay voters to approve a property tax increase to fund $89 million in renovation and repair projects in the Centinela Valley Union High School District.
At least 55% of voters need to approve Measure LP for it to pass.
Official title on the ballot: Local Public Schools Funding Authority Measure LP
You are being asked: Can the Local Public Schools Funding Authority borrow $89 million to fund repairs, renovations and construction in the Centinela Valley Union High School District?
what your vote means
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A “yes” vote means: The Authority can borrow $89 million to construct new buildings, repair and renovate existing public schools.
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A “no” vote means: The Authority cannot borrow $89 million to construct new buildings, repair and renovate existing public schools.
Understanding the Authority, and Measure LP
The Local Public Schools Funding Authority was created in 2012 as the Wiseburn School District sought to separate from Centinela Valley UHSD and become an independent district.
What’s important to know is that Measure LP funds would be directed toward Centinela Valley schools. The district includes five high schools that serve students from Lawndale, Hawthorne and Lennox elementary schools, an adult education center, and an alternative and continuation school. Altogether, 6,500 students attend Centinela Valley schools.
The Authority wants money to repair classrooms; fix deteriorating roofs, plumbing, and electrical infrastructure; remove asbestos and lead; construct gymnasiums and aquatic facilities; and install solar panels, among other things.
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School districts rely on voters to approve statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new construction. This year, Centinela Valley UHSD voters will decide whether to support one of each: the Authority’s Measure LP 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 LP, the Local Public Schools Funding Authority can issue up to $89 million in bonds to finance specific school facilities projects.
Centinela Valley UHSD told LAist in a survey that the top three priorities are:
- School health and safety projects
- School renovation, repair and upgrade projects
- New construction, development, and joint-use projects
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Dan Urrutia, who is a district alum, said the increased use of technology in the classroom has changed basic infrastructure needs, like the number of power outlets required to charge students’ devices.
The district estimates the bond would cost property-owners that live within the school district’s boundaries an average of $16.20 per $100,000 of assessed value. There’s also a possibility that the Local Public Schools Funding Authority could get additional state funding if Prop. 2, the statewide school facilities bond, passes.
Districts cannot spend bond money on employee salaries and are required to commission independent audits of bond spending.
Calculate the impact of Measure LP on your property tax
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- Find your property’s assessed value on the L.A. County Assessor’s website.
- Divide your assessed value by $100,000 and multiply that number by $16.20.
- The resulting number is the estimate of the annual property tax increase associated with Measure LP.
- 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 people who support 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.
Leuzinger High School’s gym, part of the Local Public Schools Funding Authority.
Courtesy Local Public Schools Funding Authority
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“California schools struggle with inadequate state funding for their facilities, making it difficult to keep up with necessary repairs, upgrades, and modernizations,” said Cammie Vogel, the district’s director of communications and events. “This underfunding is compounded by rising construction costs, the increasing need for climate-resilient buildings to address environmental challenges, and evolving demands for student wellness and after-school activities.”
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.
CVUHSD Board Member Gloria Ramos and parent and Citizens’ Oversight Committee Member Scott Smith are among those who submitted an argument in favor of the bond to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.
Wasn’t the lottery supposed to fund education?
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The lottery does contribute money to public education — L.A. County alone has gotten $11 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
In general, 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. “It increases the debt burden on future budgets because bond payments have to be made ahead of current needs in the budget.”
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.”
No individual or group submitted an argument in opposition to the bond to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.
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.
Local voters approved a $125 million bond in 2020. One example of a project funded by that measure is renovated athletic facilities at Leuzinger High School
Potential financial impact
A bond is basically a loan. The bond authorized by Measure LP would be paid back — with interest — through local property taxes.
Further reading
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