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As California voters consider Proposition 2, a $10 billion state school bond, the Inland Empire School District is asking voters to approve 22 local school bond proposals totaling $3.6 billion.
This equates to $1.7 billion for 11 separate school bond measures in Riverside County and $1.9 million for another 11 school bond measures in San Bernardino County. They plan to greenlight bond sales ranging from $15 million for the tiny Neuveux Union School District near Perris Lake to $500 million for the Redlands Unified School District.
Although state and local bonds are designed to work together, they are not paid in the same way. The school district will levy new local property taxes to repay the bond measure. Because California uses general tax revenue to pay for its debt, the state school bond measure does not directly trigger tax increases.
By combining municipal bond funds with state grants, school districts can stretch their funding even further.
“If local voters approve a local bond measure, local school districts may be eligible to receive matching funds from the state for facility construction, improvements, and repairs,” said Michael Coleman, a local government consultant. ” he said. “That’s why we have a record 267 local school bond measures on this November 2024 ballot. We’re going together.”
The Inland Empire District seeks funding for various types of investments. A portion of that will go towards basic infrastructure upgrades such as air conditioning, fire protection, security and disability access. The district also plans to build science and technology labs and vocational classrooms to train students in fields such as robotics, coding, health care and construction.
At least one school district is hoping to ease some of the growing pains. The Victor Valley Union High School District is proposing a $180 million ballot each. One is aimed at improving facilities and the other is aimed at easing overcrowding that has seen an enrollment boom of 21% in less than a decade.
That’s in contrast to California’s overall student enrollment, which declined for six consecutive years from 2022 to 2023 and is expected to continue declining into the next decade, according to the state Department of Treasury.
At the same time, Proposition 2 allows states to borrow $10 billion to build and modernize schools. Most of that money, $8.5 billion, will go to K-12 schools. Another $1.5 billion will go to community colleges. Its priorities are similar to those for municipal bond measures, including removing lead, improving seismic safety, adding air conditioning and broadband access, and building carrier technology facilities.
Is that too much? That’s not necessarily the case, Coleman said. If voters want to get the most out of municipal bonds by combining them with state funds, “they’re going to be more likely to vote for both,” he said. “If they understood the connection, they wouldn’t choose one over the other.”
Recent polls show Prop. 2 in the lead, with 54% of likely voters in favor and 44% opposed. State bond measures need 50% of votes to pass, but local school bond measures need 55% of the votes.
