Since 2000, local schools bonds across the state have enjoyed high passage rates. That trend began to decline in 2020, though, and weak voter confidence indicates that a new bond’s passage won’t be a slam–dunk.
San Francisco Unified School District plans to present voters with a $1 billion general obligation bond as soon as November, the largest bond in The City’s history.
A master plan is not yet available but district spokesperson Laura Dudnick noted that “SFUSD has some of the oldest buildings west of the Mississippi.” The 2016 bond aimed to funnel $100 million toward construction of the SFUSD Arts Center and the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts at 135 Van Ness Avenue and $100 million for the construction of two new elementary schools prioritizing the Mission Bay and Bayview neighborhoods.
“It’s allowed, legally. There were quite a few sites that sought funding, but there was a change in what was seen as possible. I have personal concerns about how costs continue to grow. Here we are, less than half the schools that were on the list were funded. It leaves a bitter taste in people’s mouths,” Lee said.
Bonds operate more on a “public trust mechanism,” explained Julien Lafortune, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California who specializes in education finance. This means that voter confidence is crucial. But in its favor is evidence that improved building and facility conditions are linked to greater student outcomes. Lafortune studied the impacts of school repairs and upgrades to facilities on student outcomes in Los Angeles following a series of similar bonds to the one SFUSD is proposing.
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