November is just around the corner, which means it’s almost time for Californians to go to the polls. Election season is especially important to those of us in school construction because it’s when voters cast their ballots for school bond measures for K-12 and community college districts.
In the upcoming November 8, 2022 elections, there will be 100 separate general obligation (GO) bond measures for K-12 school and community college districts on the ballots throughout the state, according to data from the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH).
In California, the Local Control Funding Formula (which has been in effect since 2013) allocates dollars for general operational costs at the state’s public schools. However, very little, if any, of those funds end up being available for facilities construction. That’s why GO bonds are so important, as they are earmarked specifically for facilities construction projects within individual districts.
Among our current district clients whose communities have GO bond measures on the upcoming ballot are:
- Napa Valley Unified School District: Measures A1 and A2
- Pleasanton Unified School District: Measure I
- Calistoga Joint Unified School District: Measure B
- East Side Union High School District: Measures G, E, I, Technology I and Z
If passed, these initiatives – and other comparable bond measures from elsewhere in the state – would provide funding for critical pre-planning, master planning and construction efforts for new and modernized school facilities. Additionally, these types of bond-funded projects would contribute to job growth throughout California.
At VPCS, we do whatever we can to support California’s GO school bond measures, whether or not they target our client districts. That’s one of the many reasons we’re so active in organizations such as CASH (including its Legislative Advisory Committee and its School Facilities Leadership Academy), the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) and the Community College Facility Coalition.
We understand that our public educational agencies are under-funded at both the state and the federal levels and that the only way to raise the funds necessary to build and improve facilities is to garner local support.
Supporting school bond measures helps strengthen communities. It’s a way for local taxpayers to show K-12 and community college districts that they are willing to invest in their own communities, bolster local economies by creating construction jobs and solidify California’s public education mission. Most importantly, it demonstrates a commitment to achievement for students of all ages.
For all these reasons and more, VPCS believes in the promise of local bond initiatives. We hope to see you at the polls.
October 5, 2022