Nearly a dozen financially strapped school districts in San Diego County appealed to voters with a bond measure this election.
Six of 11 of the school bond measures appeared to have passed as most precincts reported their numbers early Wednesday morning.
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Here's a list of the bond measures and the amount they asked voters to authorize. Those with an asterisk next to them appeared to have passed.
- *PROPOSITION C - Cajon Valley Union School District - $88.4 million
- PROPOSITION D - Dehesa School District - $3 million
- *PROPOSITION E - Chula Vista Elementary School District - $90 million
- PROPOSITION G - Mountain Empire School District - $30.8 million
- PROPOSITION R - Ramona Unified School District - $66 million
- *PROPOSITION V - Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District $398 million
- *PROPOSITION Y - South Bay Union School District - $26 million
- *PROPOSITION Z - San Diego Unified School District - $2.8 million
- *PROPOSITION AA - San Dieguito Union High School District - $449 million
- PROPOSITION CC - Del Mar Union School District - $76.8 million
- PROPOSITION EE - MiraCosta Community College District - $497 million
Propositions C, D, and Y are considered "Reauthorization Bonds," meaning the measures are versions of previously passed bond measures. The new measures authorize the issuance of new bonds.
The number of bonds in the county has grown significantly since 2010, when there were four school bonds on ballots countywide.In 2008, there were eight, including one in the Primary Election, versus three in 2006.
“We’ve definitely seen an increase in bonds for schools and community colleges in general,” said Scott Himelstein, director of USD’s Center for Education Policy and Law in a previous article. “I think it’s viewed in these fiscal times as a way to bring dollars to the district not controlled by the state.”
Himelstein said the rise and success of bond measures on the ballots over the past several years shows that voters generally favor bonds over tax increases, such as the state's upcoming Proposition 30. As the final precincts statewide reported results for Prop. 30, it appeared that measure had passed.
Local
On the other hand, bond measures use a percentage of property taxes to pay off loans purchased under the measures. Most go directly to capital improvement projects or much-needed educational supplies, district advocates say.
Many school districts urge the passage of the state’s Prop. 30 in addition to their bond measures. But the bond measures tend to appeal more to the local community, and are marketed as district-specific, said Himelstein.
The potential risk of bond measures became especially apparent after Poway Unified School District came under fire for using a financing method called a Capital Appreciation Bond. The bond will eventually cost 10 times more than the district borrowed, as our media partner, the Voice of San Diego reported.
Proposition AA in San Dieguito was only 0.53 percent away from passing as of 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
Proposition E, a $90 million bond measure to repair schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, led 67 percent to 33 percent in early voting Tuesday. Proposition Y, the reauthorization of a $26 million general obligation bond passed in 2008 to continue upgrading facilities in the South Bay Union School District, also appeared to pass by an even greater margin.
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