Prop. BB, for the Kids’ Sake

Children who attend public schools in Los Angeles are often asked to learn on aging campuses in need of critical repairs. Proposition BB, a $2.4-billion general obligation bond measure, would pay for improvements on every campus. Every student, every school and every neighborhood would benefit from this local investment in public education.

Sacramento pays for new school construction and other needs, but the State Allocation Board often gives priority to districts that can provide matching funds. The Proposition BB bond measure, on the Nov. 5 ballot, would allow the Los Angeles Unified School District to compete for a greater share of state funds needed to build new schools, reduce class size, upgrade deteriorating campuses and improve play- grounds.

A watchdog citizens oversight committee, already approved by the Board of Education, would ensure that the bond money was spent efficiently, effectively and specifically as the voters intended. This new safeguard would impose an extra layer of accountability on the district and should reassure property owners, who are being asked to pay about $38 more in taxes for every $100,000 in assessed value.

If the measure is approved, classrooms can be wired for computers, an essential tool in this era. Those computers and everything else of value would be protected by burglar alarms. Security also would be improved with the installation of new fire alarms, lighting and fences. The 1994 Northridge earthquake provided a grim reminder about the importance of seismic safety on school grounds. The bond measure would finance improvements to strengthen school building safety.

In the San Fernando Valley and other particularly hot areas of the district, air conditioning is a priority. Children and teachers cannot be expected to do their best in unbearably hot classrooms.

The bond measure also would pay for fixing leaking roofs, faulty electrical wiring, decaying walls, malfunctioning plumbing and heating systems and peeling paint and for other maintenance deferred for years at old schools because of the district’s chronic budget problems.

Proposition BB, at the bottom of the ballot, is a referendum on the future of local students and schools. Vote yes.