District pushing for Proposition 47

Deirdre Newman

When a $110-million bond measure for school improvements passed

two years ago, proponents expected to get a chunk of money from the

state to help in the upgrading and modernizing of 28 district

schools.

What they didn’t expect was a court decision and high demand to

drain money from the state schools facilities program faster than

they could become eligible for it.

But that is precisely what happened, said Paul Reed, assistant

superintendent. And it is why the Harbor Council PTA is urging

Newport-Mesa residents to vote “yes” on Proposition 47, a

$13.05-billion bond initiative for building and upgrading K-12

schools, college and universities.

“These are the matching funds that will help us complete our

improvements at each of the sites, and we are counting on the voters

and our community in particular to vote ‘yes’ so we can have a

completion of the work that has been outlined at each site,” said

Patty Christiansen, Harbor Council president.

The district launched its facilities improvement program two years

ago after residents passed Measure A, authorizing $110 million in

bonds that is paying for two-thirds of the modernization.

The amount of the bond was calculated from a master plan, which

assumed approximately $53 million in state funding. The district’s

funding eligibility in two years has increased to $61 million.

The district schools were divided into four groups based on how

urgent their facility needs are. Construction will start on the

“Group One” schools first.

Even if Proposition 47 passes, it will probably only provide

funding for the first three groups of schools, Reed said, because the

state funding process is lengthy and because there is so much demand

for funding around the state.

There are currently more than 2,000 projects around the state

counting on Proposition 47 funding, according to the California

School Boards Assn.’s October newsletter.

“The state is always running behind in school facilities,” Reed

said. “The state should be building a school every day to keep up

with enrollment demand in the state of California.”

Group Four schools will probably have to wait for a $12-billion

state bond measure on the March 2004 ballot, Reed said.

Leaving the state money up to voters’ whims puts the district in a

precarious position that Measure A supporters did not anticipate,

said Jill Money, one of the measure’s co-chairs.

“I could not have worked harder on [Measure A] and I feel

personally responsible having gone to the voters and having asked for

the money based on the master plan,” Money said.

“Now I feel that the state has embarrassed all of us by not

allowing us to fund the projects that we promised the voters,” he

said. “I feel sorry for our district.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.