PROP 2

 Prop 2 would authorize $10 Billion for repair, upgrade, and construction of K-12 public schools (including charter schools) and community colleges. The debt would be paid from the General Fund.

The way things go in CA, the state is supposed to pay half the cost of new school construction, and 60% of the cost of renovations. The local district pays the remainder. Both local and state governments often borrow money for these purposes using voter-approved bonds. But there are huge inequities in the amount of funding that poor districts can raise in property taxes, so state funds have been inequitably distributed. Prop 2 takes some steps to address this, but they're only minor improvements.

It is important to remember that these funds may only be used for renovation and construction of facilities. The money may not be used to hire or retain staff, provide equipment such as computers, or deal with school budget deficits.

This is the problem with the proposition. While it is beyond dispute that poor facilities can have a negative effect on student outcomes, the reasons for plunging student test scores is probably not the leaky roof. It's the lack of staff to assist kids with greater needs, and the lack of resources for the teachers.

San Francisco Unified School District is on the verge of a state takeover due to budget deficits. Why? One reason might be that school enrollment has dropped dramatically since 2019, but the current school board has refused (until now) to close any schools.

So, at a time when school enrollment across the state is dropping, does it make sense to build new schools?

Not surprisingly, the prop is heavily backed by construction and companies. It's opposed by the dependable cranks at the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Singers.

This prop is expensive and may not do anything to improve student outcomes. However, it has been a long time since we approved a school facilities bond (we rejected a $15B school construction bond in 2020), so it's not a crazy ask either.

Your Political Friend is voting NO, or maybe YES. Both positions have merit, flip a coin.