Prop. 51 invests in tomorrow’s students

From Los Angeles to San Francisco to Sacramento and back again, public policy officials have been wailing over California’s housing shortage and resulting high prices.

Median-priced California homes cost $469,000. More Californians rent than do residents of any other state except New York. Even a parking space in San Francisco costs $500 a month. The law of supply-and-demand insists a building boom is imminent. If past is prelude, that boom will echo throughout the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

Consider: a house payment in San Francisco consumes 95 percent of a resident’s median income. But in Merced County it’s only 40 percent. In Stanislaus County it’s 44 and San Joaquin 51. This entire regon has always been a magnate for Bay Area families seeking affordable housing; when the next wave arrives, many will have children in tow. And those children will need schools.

Which brings us to Proposition 51.

The bond issue would make $3 billion available in state matching grants for new school construction. More important to communities that have seen declines in student populations, it would provide $3 billion for districts to renovate, update and modernize older schools. There’s money for charter schools, community colleges and technical education programs.

Too many Valley districts are forced into choosing between making repairs to keep students safe and investing in the updates and innovations that will prepare students for 21st century jobs. By necessity, those choices veer toward safety and away from a better future.

Don’t doubt the need is dire. In Merced County, Hilmar and Merced Union High School districts each have identified $440,000 in rennovation needs; Le Grand schools would request $300,000. But the biggest benefactor in the area could be Merced City Schools, which has identified over $10 million in projects that would be eligible for matching funds.

If Proposition 51 passes, eight school districts in Merced and Mariposa counties would be eligible for matching funds. Considering the 24 districts in Stanislaus, south San Joaquin and Tuolumne counties, schools in the region could get $149 million in matching money.

Gov. Jerry Brown and others say this bond adds too much to the state’s debt; that enrollments are declining. Others say too much is being dedicated to new schools and not enough to upgrading existing schools; that bonds are not the best way to fund school construction and renovation. But such bonds are precisely how we’ve funded school buildings for the past 100 years. And the last initiative to fund matching grants for school construction has expired; there’s no bond money left – even though interest rates are at historic lows, making such construction more affordable.

We’ve been begging our legislature to fix our roads, fund water storage and help us clean up our region’s dirty air. But little happens. Asked to address this problem, the legislature punted. Perhaps that’s why Californians so frequently turn to the ballot box to fix problems that matter.

Both the California Democratic and Republican parties endorse Proposition 51 along with the California Chamber of Commerce, California Labor Federation and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

We can never be certain our legislature will ever get around to helping us prepare for the students we are certain will be arriving. Vote yes on Proposition 51; California’s 6.2 million students are depending on it.

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Prop. 51 invests in tomorrow’s students."