Chancellor's Column

Two propositions on the November 7th ballot could substantially impact our district and community colleges throughout California. The following is provided as public information about Proposition 38 and Proposition 39.

Proposition 38
Prop. 38, school vouchers, would authorize annual state payments of at least $4,000 per student for private and religious K-12 schools phased in over four years and remove community colleges from the minimum funding guarantee approved by California voters under Proposition 98.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) states in the California Official Voter Information Guide that the long-term costs for existing private school students would be $3.3 billion. The general fund and lottery revenue for all 108 California community colleges combined is $3 billion. The LAO states that community colleges would no longer be included in a funding guarantee under Proposition 38 and “would have to compete with state programs generally, rather than against K-12 education programs.”

The LAO estimates the net state and local fiscal impact of Proposition 38 as follows:

• Short-term (first several years) state costs averaging between zero and $1.1 billion annually.

• Longer-term (within five to 10 years) the net fiscal effect on state funding of K-12 schools is largely unknown. Annual impact is likely to range from costs of about $2 billion to savings of over $3 billion, depending on the number of students who shift from public schools to private schools.

• Potential loss of federal funds in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually because much of federal funding is based upon the number of students attending public K-12 schools.

Proponents of Prop. 38 say it will result in a savings to the state and provide better education for all of California’s children.

Opponents of Prop. 38 say it will result in higher costs, higher taxes and/or cuts in existing state programs.

Proposition 39
Prop. 39, school facilities bonds on the November ballot, would authorize bonds for repair, construction or replacement of K-12 and community college facilities, if local districts receive 55 percent voter approval (rather than the current two-thirds) for specific projects outlined on the voter ballot.

The LAO states the 55 percent vote would be valid only if the local bond measure presented to the voters includes:

• A requirement that the bond funds can be used only for construction, rehabilitation, equipping of school facilities, or the acquisition or lease of real property for school facilities.

• A specific list of school projects to be funded and certification that the school board has evaluated safety, class size reduction, and information technology needs in developing the list.

• A requirement that the school board conduct annual, independent financial and performance audits until all bond funds have been spent to ensure that the bond funds have been used only for the projects listed in the measure.

Proponents of Prop. 39 state in the California Official Voter Information Guide that the initiative helps fix classroom overcrowding and provides much-needed repairs of unsafe and outdated schools.

Opponents of Prop. 39 state in the California Official Voter Information Guide that the initiative ends the 121-year-old provision requiring a two-thirds vote on local bonds and makes it easier to raise property taxes.

By Augustine P. Gallego, SDCCD Chancellor