Educators Hope Bonds Fare Better With State Voters

Santa Ana hopes to modernize or build six schools, including the state’s first public school in a shopping mall. Cal State Fullerton wants to build a performing arts center. And many other school districts finally would get to long-delayed repairs and maintenance.

They are all counting on Proposition 203.

If the measure on Tuesday’s ballot is passed, the state would float $3 billion in bonds to upgrade, repair and build new elementary, secondary and college campuses. Orange County could receive more than $110 million.

Just over two-thirds of the proceeds from the state bond measure would go to elementary through high schools; the remainder would go to colleges and universities. If the bond passes, schools could begin receiving money within six months.

School districts depend on bond measures to finance major construction and maintenance, and bond supporters say state schools already face a more than $6-billion backlog in projects.

With so many unfunded plans and the defeat of a 1994 state bond measure, many Proposition 203 supporters are calling the measure a last stand for schools. Proponents believe a statewide measure, which requires a simple majority for approval, stands a better chance than local ballot initiatives, which need the endorsement of a two-thirds majority of voters.

“If you can’t get 51% out of your community today, you’re not going to get 66% out of them tomorrow,” said Orange County labor leader Edward R. Heskett.

Heskett made his remarks last week during a Santa Ana candlelight vigil sponsored by the city’s parent-teacher organization in support of the proposition. Despite heavy rain, about 100 parents and children turned out for the demonstration on the lawn outside Santa Ana school district offices.

Proposition 203 supporters listed on the state voters guide include the League of Women Voters, the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Teachers Assn.

Critics of the measure contend school districts should make more efficient use of existing money and facilities and object to what they consider a hidden tax increase.

The California Libertarian Party, the primary force against the measure, says the bond will be a burden on taxpayers. Although not a tax increase, the bond is paid off with tax revenues--a figure that would raise its amount to $5.2 billion when interest is included.

If Proposition 203 and another $2-billion bond to strengthen bridges passes, the percentage of general fund revenue to pay off bonds--the debt ratio--would rise from 5.1% to 5.3%.

“[Supporters] claim it’s fiscally sound,” said Gail Lightfoot, a registered nurse and chair of the Libertarian Party of California. “Orange County claimed what they were doing [before the bankruptcy] was fiscally sound too.”

A Los Angeles Times Poll conducted March 13-17 found 54% of voters favored the bond measure and 35% opposed it, with the rest saying they did not know enough about it. But nearly seven in 10 of those polled were unaware of the proposition and survey takers had to tell them its purpose before they could decide.

That confirms the perception of bond backers that the vote on the bond issue will be tight.

The last time a state ballot measure for school construction passed was in 1992. In 1994 a school construction bond failed to gain a simple majority by less than one percentage point, or 35,000 votes.

This time, a statewide coalition of groups supporting Proposition 203 plans to spend $900,000 on radio and television ads in Orange and other counties by Tuesday’s vote, said campaign manager Julie White. That compares with the less than $125,000 spent in 1994, according to Marc Hall, a legislative assistant with Sacramento-based Coalition for Adequate School Housing, or CASH.

“We may have not done as many things” in 1994, said Mike Vail, who oversees planning and building for the Santa Ana school district. “The fact that it has been so long that there hasn’t been state money tells us that there may be people in the community who don’t know where the funding [for school construction] comes from.”

The principal opponents to Proposition 203 have not raised any money, and are participating in candidate and issue forums to make their views known, Lightfoot said.

But proposition supporters say they have been hit by an unexpected enemy: television ads opposing Propositions 200, 201 and 202, which concern legal and business issues. Proposition 203 supporters fear that their cause will be lumped in with what are being called “the terrible 200s.”

“All our grass-roots people who aren’t sitting down watching [the commercial], but are hearing it, are saying, ‘Oh my God,’ ” White said. The campaign against 200, 201 and 202 discounts the idea that the ads will confuse voters.

Meantime, school districts including Fullerton, San Juan Capistrano and Santa Ana support Proposition 203. Those districts stand to receive approximately $651,000, $18 million and $41.2 million, respectively.

The largest chunk of Santa Ana’s money, $23.5 million, would go to fund the Space Saver School, which would be located in the Bristol Marketplace strip mall and help alleviate overcrowding in district schools.

The $18 million for the Capistrano Unified School District would fund construction at three elementary schools, while the $651,000 in Fullerton would go for classroom computers and other technology.

Orange County colleges stand to gain over $85 million, with UC Irvine receiving the largest share, about $47 million. Cal State Fullerton is due to receive $2.7 million, and perhaps up to $30 million if its full request comes through, with most of the money earmarked for a proposed performing arts center. Local community colleges would stand to gain $9.6 million, according to the California Community Colleges agency.

School requests for bond money still need final approval from state officials.

But that subtlety has not stopped supporters.

“The kids are already here,” Santa Ana City Councilman Robert L. Richardson shouted in the falling rain at the candlelight vigil. “Now let’s build the classrooms.”