Pondering a FIFTH School Bond

Let us first review the four previous bond measures passed by voters over the past eleven years.

Proposition BB. Year passed-1997. Amount of bond-$2.4 billion dollars.
Proposition K. Year passed-2002. Amount of bond- $3.35 billion dollars.
Proposition R. Year passed-2004. Amount of bond-$3.87 billion dollars.
Proposition Y. Year passed-2005. Amount of bond-$3.985 billion dollars.

Cumulative total of bond indebtedness for the four bonds-$13.605 billion dollars.

The new bond proposal, which was unanimously passed by the LAUSD Board of Education, for placement on this November's ballot is for $7 billion dollars.

If the new bond passes, property tax payers will be held to pay for $20.605 billion dollars in JUST school construction bonds.

Repayment of the school bonds does not include all the other things our property taxes go to fund.

This time, I truly hope we all ponder whether LAUSD deserves such a large new bond measure being passed by voters.

I think somebody should find the graduation rates of high school students in 1997, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2008 to try and determine if the more money is given, the dropout rate actually goes up.

I pay the property taxes for the house I live in. I cannot afford another school bond, especially when it will go to a school district that is failing to keep accurate record of the expenditures for the previous bonds.

I cannot afford to pay for schools that are failing the students who attend them.

I am not very willing to pay for "Hip-Hop High".

The school district has not even used the funds from the previous four bonds, why do they need another one?

Besides repaying the four previous bonds, if this new bond passes, our tax rates will go up to top out at $60.00 per $100,000 dollars of assessed valuation, just for this newest bond. And we would be paying for this new bond until the year, 2044, THIRTY-SIX years into the future.

Haven't we given enough already, with so little in the way of real education of students to show for it?

South Region High School No. 15 (SRHS 15) MAY already have funding to build that campus on the Upper Reservation of Fort MacArthur, so this shouldn't be a pondering about that particular issue.

But when language in the proposed bond calls for another 810-seat campus to ease overcrowding at Narbonne High School, somewhere in the local area, that is something that needs to be carefully considered.

Between Harbor Gateway, south of Sepulveda, and all of the San Pedro area, there could potentially be at least EIGHT schools where high school students attend.

What type of educational results might we expect if we voters provide another $7 billion dollars into the LAUSD system?

Would more teachers be hired to lower class size?

Would every student be able to have every textbook he or she needs?

Would San Pedro High School finally get access for people with movement issues?
(San Pedro High School in not wheelchair accessible)

Would graduation rates be guaranteed to improve?

Would students receive the best education $20.605 billion dollars might provide?

Would we have any consideration that the money approved of would be spent wisely, with OUR interests being considered.

Would we be proud of what we see when the bond money is finally exhausted?

Folks, I just cannot afford more bond indebtedness if what is shown for all the expenditures are results we are currently seeing. Can you?

The parents of the majority of the students attending Los Angeles Unified School District schools are not paying their share, fair or unfair.