It’s Glendale’s Turn to Fix Schools

On Tuesday, voters in the Glendale Unified School District have the opportunity to create a legacy for their children and grandchildren by approving $186 million in bonds to repair, renovate and expand the district’s 21 aging campuses. Similar to successful school bond measures in Burbank and Los Angeles, Measure K would give the district enough money to make necessary repairs to schools that are an average of 50 years old and in desperate need of attention.

For instance, Columbus Elementary School--built in 1950 to accommodate 500 students--now enrolls 1,225. Half are taught in aging temporary classrooms. The roofs leak. At Fremont Elementary School, termites and dry rot have damaged beams and window frames. At Mark Keppel Elementary School, restrooms and storage areas have been converted into teaching space. Across the district, many classrooms boast only a single electrical outlet--prompting school administrators to joke grimly that students have to unplug the aquarium to plug in the computer.

Clearly, children deserve better. For all the talk about how much the electorate values the opportunities of public education, it generally fails to put its money where its mouth is. Children can see how much of a priority education really is when the roofs of their classrooms leak or when antiquated toilets routinely overflow or when they are learning in rooms designed to store equipment.

Well aware of the criticism surrounding the Los Angeles Unified School District’s use of money from Proposition BB, Glendale school administrators have outlined and prioritized lists of specific projects for each and every school in the district. A public advisory panel will oversee the projects. The cost? Homeowners will pay about $49.91 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. For the average homeowner that means about an extra $88.22 per year on the property tax bill.

Opponents argue that the only legacy the bond leaves for future generations is indebtedness. While true that the bond will take 38 years to pay back and that much of the money goes toward interest, the argument is unconvincing. It’s rather like suggesting home buyers pay cash rather than finance their purchase with a 30-year mortgage--two-thirds of which just covers interest. They also criticize the use of bond financing, which can be slightly more costly than other forms.

But the simple fact is that bonds remain the safest, best way to finance large public improvements. The investment Glendale makes in its children today will pay for itself many times over in the years to come. Many of the voters in Tuesday’s election were once students in Glendale schools built with the tax money of their parents. Today’s kids deserve no less.

Measure K deserves support.