Posted on 11/09/2005 10:00:08 AM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Voters approved a $3.9 billion bond measure that will allow the Los Angeles Unified School District to build new schools, upgrade safety equipment and repair aging classrooms.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 66 percent of voters were in favor of Measure Y and 34 percent opposed. The measure needed 55 percent support to pass.
"This is a truly historic vote," said Roy Romer, superintendent of the 727,000-student district. "Los Angeles is making a massive statement that we want to educate our children right. It makes up for 35 years of neglect."
Supporters said the measure would eliminate year-round schedules for students and give communities their fair share of new schools and classrooms.
About $1.6 billion will go toward building 25 new elementary schools and will ease crowding in middle schools, district officials said. About $1.5 billion will help fund ongoing repairs to older schools such as removing asbestos and installing up-to-date fire alarms.
The measure will increase property taxes by $26 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually over the course of the 25-year bonds.
Opponents questioned why the nation's second-largest school district needed to pass a fourth school bond measure in the past eight years. Voters passed the $3.8 billion Measure R in March 2004.
They argued that more schools shouldn't be built because a district analysis earlier this year shows that enrollment has been declining.
"We believe the school district used poor judgment putting forth this bond measure," said Kris Vosburgh of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which wrote the ballot argument against Measure Y.
Voters have approved nearly $10 billion bonds since 1997, helping the district build more than 40 new schools. A total of 160 is expected by 2012.
"The previous bonds have gotten us a step closer to our goals," said Glenn Gritzner, special assistant to Romer. "They are all pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. This is the final piece."
That explains the big sucking sound I heard from the big city next door. Bummer.
more more more money money money.
Next year they'll be back saying the schools are underfunded and they need more money
Yeah, because it's the BUILDINGS that are screwing up our schoolchildren.
So what the hell is L.A. doing with all the damn LOTTERY money?!
I'm glad I'm out of LA County/City and in Ventura now (about as far away "out of CA" I can get while keeping my job).
But how many times have we paid to remove asbestos and lead in schools? Are they building *new* schools with lead and asbestos? Because otherwise something is not right.
Great..............half the state budget goes to education and we are in the bottom 10 in the US for student peformance. My wife is a teacher. This is the first year the graduating seniors have to take the exit exam to get their diploma.............50% are going to fail the test. Well that's what you get when you have the children of 2 million illegal aliens in your public schools.
more debt...
and if the millions of illegals in CA were deported we wouldn't have spend all this additional money on schools, welfare, prisons...
Sad day to be a Californian.
Semper Fi,
Kelly
Gotta make room for all the illegals. And nice rooms at that.
LOL! Famous last words.
Darn. I want to put up another bond next election for $100 mil. Heck let's go for $200 mil. Just looking forward to the collapse - the sooner the better.
New schools for all the illegals.
It just never stops.
What happened to all that lottery money for schools?
In the last two days, the LAUSD magically found some 35 million dollars slated to build new office building for the board and it's staff.
And kids don't have books or supplies...shameful.
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