Proposition 53: School Bond

In order to fully understand the importance of Proposition 53, the 1986 School Facility Bond, it is appropriate to provide a brief history of school construction in California.

Since 1978, school construction and reconstruction has become a problem of alarming dimensions. The state established a program intended to respond in the statewide school facility needs called the Leroy F. Greene State School Building Lease-Purchase Program, but the funding to date has not been adequate and the backlog of funding needs have been rising.

In 1980, the first year of the new program, there were applications on file for new construction with an estimated cost of $300 million in excess of the funding available. As of July 1, 1986, even though more than $1 billion has been expended, the underfunded backlog of applications on file for new construction is more than $1.3 billion.

This amount does not address facilities for more than 450,000 new students who will enter California’s school system in the next 5 years, nor does it allow for almost $2 billion worth of reconstruction funding already needed to put some of California’s older schools into a better educational mode.

Without the funds made available by this bond act, 20,500 classrooms will not be built and 450,000 students will not be housed. This bond issue will make available $400 million for new schools, $360 million for reconstruction of outmoded schools and $40 million for heat reduction for year-round schools.

AUDREY P. HANSON

Burbank

Hanson is a member of the board of the Burbank Unified School District and director of the Los Angeles County California School Boards Assn.