November, 2003

Proposition 55

Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities 
Bond Act of 2004

Background

Public education in California consists of two distinct systems. One system includes local school districts that provide elementary and secondary (kindergarten through 12th grade, or “K-12”) education to about 6.2 million pupils. The other system (commonly referred to as “higher education”) includes the California Community Colleges (CCCs), the California State University (CSU), and the University of California (UC). The three segments of higher education provide education programs beyond the 12th grade to the equivalent of about 1.6 million full-time students.

K-12 Schools

School Facilities Funding. The K-12 schools receive funding for construction and modernization (that is, renovation) of facilities from two main sources—state general obligation bonds and local general obligation bonds. General obligation bonds are backed by the state and school districts, meaning that they are obligated to pay the principal and interest costs on these bonds.

K-12 School Building Needs. Under the SFP, K-12 school districts must demonstrate the need for new or modernized facilities. Through September 2004, the districts have identified a need to construct new schools to house nearly 1 million pupils and modernize schools for an additional 1.1 million pupils. The state cost to address these needs is estimated to be roughly $16 billion.

Higher Education

California’s system of public higher education includes 141 campuses in the three segments listed below, serving about 1.6 million students:

Over the past decade, the voters have approved $5.1 billion in general obligation bonds for capital improvements at public higher education campuses. Virtually all of these funds have been committed to specific projects. The state also has provided almost $1.6 billion in lease revenue bonds (authorized by the Legislature) for this same purpose.

In addition to these state bonds, the higher education segments have other sources of funding for capital projects.

Higher Education Building Plans. Each year the institutions of higher education prepare capital outlay plans in which they identify project priorities over the next few years. Higher education capital outlay projects in the most recent plans total $5.3 billion for the period 2003‑04 through 2007‑08.

Proposal

This measure allows the state to issue $12.3 billion of general obligation bonds for construction and renovation of K-12 school facilities ($10 billion) and higher education facilities ($2.3 billion). Figure 1 shows how these bond funds would be allocated to K-12 and higher education.

 

Figure 1

Proposition 55
Uses of Bond Funds

 

Amount   
(In Millions)

K-12

 

New construction projects

$5,260a

Modernization projects

2,250

Critically overcrowded schools

2,440

Joint use

50

  Subtotal, K-12

($10,000)b

Higher Education

 

Community Colleges

$920

California State University

690

University of California

690

  Subtotal, Higher Education

($2,300)

    Total

$12,300

 

a  Up to $300 million available for charter schools.

b  Up to $20 million available for energy conservation projects.

 

 

Future Education Bond Act. If the voters do not approve this measure, state law requires the same bond issue to be placed on the November 2004 ballot.

K-12 School Facilities

Figure 1 describes generally how the $10 billion for K-12 school projects would be allocated. However, the measure would permit changes in this allocation with the approval of the Legislature and Governor.

New Construction. A total of $5.26 billion would be available to buy land and construct new school buildings. A district would be required to pay for 50 percent of costs with local resources unless it qualifies for state hardship funding. The measure also provides that up to $300 million of these new construction funds is available for charter school facilities. (Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of many of the requirements of regular public schools.)

Modernization. The proposition makes $2.25 billion available for the reconstruction or modernization of existing school facilities. Districts would be required to pay 40 percent of project costs from local resources.

Critically Overcrowded Schools. This proposition directs a total of $2.44 billion to districts with schools which are considered critically overcrowded. These funds would go to schools that have a large number of pupils relative to the size of the school site.

Joint-Use Projects. The measure makes a total of $50 million available to fund joint-use projects. (An example of a joint-use project is a facility constructed for use by both a K-12 school district and a local library district.)

Higher Education Facilities

The measure includes $2.3 billion to construct new buildings and related infrastructure, alter existing buildings, and purchase equipment for use in these buildings for California’s public higher education systems. As Figure 1 shows, the measure allocates $690 million each to UC and CSU and $920 million to CCCs. The Governor and the Legislature would select the specific projects to be funded by the bond monies.

Fiscal Effect

The cost of these bonds would depend on their interest rates and the time period over which they are repaid. If the $12.3 billion in bonds authorized by this proposition is sold at an interest rate of 5.25 percent (the current rate for this type of bond) and repaid over 30 years, the cost over the period would be about $24.7 billion to pay off both the principal ($12.3 billion) and interest ($12.4 billion). The average payment for principal and interest would be about $823 million per year.


Return to Initiatives and Propositions

Return to Legislative Analyst's Office Home Page