Propposition 47 is not the only bond issue facing Los
Angeles-area voters this November. Measure K, if passed, would
dedicate $3.35 billion to school district construction by raising
local property taxes.
If passed, the Safe Healthy Neighborhood Schools Bond Measure
would raise funds for several Los Angeles Unified School District
construction projects, some of which have already begun.
The LAUSD is building 80 new schools, along with 79 expansions,
in an effort to reduce school crowding and bussing.
Passage of both Measure K and Proposition 47 is the only way the
LAUSD can guarantee it will complete all of its projects, said
Glenn Gritzner, special assistant to superintendent Roy Romer.
LAUSD facilities officials decided to begin new projects in 2000
even though future bond issues would be needed to finish the
projects since projections showed there would not be enough seats
for all students without new construction, he added.
Measure K funds will be paid out of property tax revenues, with
taxes being raised no more than five dollars per $100,000 of
assessed property value per month, according to the LAUSD.
The initiative’s opponents challenge the LAUSD’s
abilities to effectively manage any revenue received through the
initiative.
“(The LAUSD) is probably the most incompetent government
agency in California, if not the nation,” said Kris Vosbergh,
executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’
Association.
Both internal and external audits on the LAUSD show funds
acquired after the passage of Measure BB, a $2.4 billion bond
measure, in April 1997, were poorly managed.
The LAUSD says Measure K has oversight provisions strong enough
to avoid problems experienced in the past.
New safety measures include an Independent Citizens’
Oversight Committee with independent staff, legal counsel and the
ability to review facilities’ plans before the Board of
Education sees them, Gritzner said.
Internal audits released in 2000 and 2001 found the LAUSD spent
Measure BB revenues in excess of guidelines. District officials
admitted millions were wasted after a November 2001 audit
discovered a possible $600 million shortfall.
An additional bond measure for LAUSD schools is planned for
2004.