Proposition 51 fails to address the problem of existing school facilities and does not serve the school districts that need the most assistance.
Proposition 51 is a bond measure that, if passed, would raise $9 billion for school construction and improvement projects. The revenue would help construct and modernize new facilities. It would cover K-12 schools, charter schools and community colleges – at the cost of a $500 million annual debt over the next 35 years.
The measure was not proposed by the legislature, but rather by construction groups and developers who would directly benefit from the new projects the proposition hopes to fund.
While the proposition seeks to alleviate the poor conditions of the state’s school facilities – the Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated the annual cost of upgrades and replacements to be between $4 billion and $8 billion – its first-come, first-served application process disproportionately benefits wealthier and larger districts instead of directly allocating money to the low-income districts in the worst shape.
Because of its flawed approach to tackling the deficiencies in California’s public school system, this board does not endorse Proposition 51.
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