School bond elections in California

School bonds & taxes
Bond elections
2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 2009 • 2008 All years and states
Property tax elections
2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 2009 • 2008 All years and states
How voting works
Other
State comparisons County evaluations Approval rates

California school bond elections are local ballot measures that ask voters to decide on whether the school district that is sponsoring the measure should be allowed to issue bonds, and incur the additional indebtedness that bonds bring with them.

All public school district in California are entitled to bond issues on the local ballot.

California also has a statewide school building program known as the School Facilities Grant Program which is supported by statewide bond measures such as Proposition 1D in 2006. Statewide bond measures require a simple majority to pass.

Local school districts can also issue school construction bonds and levy property taxes to pay for them, as long as the voters in the district approve.

Approval rates

About two-thirds of local school bond proposals in California were approved in the decade that runs from 1998-2008.

Prior to 2001, districts needed two-thirds approval to pass local general obligation bond measures. More than 40% of local school bond ballot questions failed. In November 2000, California voters passed Proposition 39. Proposition 39 reduced the supermajority needed to pass a bond issue ballot question from 67% to 55%. Proposition 39 also imposed some restrictions on the allowable amount of the bond and included some accountability requirements. Since the passage of Proposition 39, districts have had the choice of whether to seek two-thirds or 55% approval. 80% of local school bond ballots that rely on the 55% approval have succeeded.

Elections

2012

June 5:

See also: June 5, 2012 ballot measure elections

• Antioch Unified School District bond proposition
• Cupertino Union School District bond proposition, Measure H
• Dublin Unified School District
• Milpitas Unified School District bond proposition, Measure E
• Mountain View Whisman School District bond proposition, Measure G
• West Valley-Mission Community College District bond proposition, Measure C

2011

2011 school bond question election overview
Status	Number	Dollars	District %	Dollar %
a Approved	7	$981,100,000.00	70%	41.34%
d Defeated	3	$1,392,000,000	30%	58.66%
Totals:	10	$2,373,100,000	100%	100%

November 8:

a Bradley Union School District bond proposition, Measure T
a Larkspur School District bond proposition, Measure A
a Millbrae School District bond proposition, Measure N
a Newark Unified School District bond proposition, Measure G
a Newhall School District bond proposition, Measure E
d San Bruno Park School District bond proposition, Measure O
a San Francisco Unified School District bond, Proposition A
d San Mateo Community College District bond proposition, Measure H

April 5:

a Glendale Unified School District bond proposition, Measure S

March 8:

d Santa Clara Unified School District bond proposition, Measure A

2010

See also: California school district bond elections in 2010

2010 school bond question election overview
Status	Number	Dollars	District %	Dollar %
a Approved	61	$5,053,250,000	73.5%	89.75%
d Defeated	22	$576,950,000	26.5%	10.25%
Totals:	83	$5,630,200,000	100%	100%

June 8:

Measure	County	Amount	Outcome
Anderson Valley Unified, Measure A	Mendocino	$15,250,000	a
Arcohe Union, Measure A	Sacramento	$3,900,000	d
Big Pine, Measure A	Inyo	$4,100,000	a
Blue Lake Elementary, Measure K	Humboldt	$2,000,000	a
Calipatria Unified, Measure I	Imperial	$25,000,000	d
Campbell Union Elementary, Measure G	Santa Clara	$150,000,000	a
Corcoran Unified, Measure Q	Kings/Tulare	$24,700,000	d
Garden Grove Unified, Measure A	Orange	$250,000,000	a
Greenfield Union, Measure L	Monterey	$8,300,000	a
Hope School, Measure L	Santa Barbara	$8,000,000	a
Los Gatos Union, Measure E	Santa Clara	$30,900,000	a
Lucerne Valley Unified, Measure S	San Bernardino	$7,950,000	d
Lynwood Unified, Measure AA	Los Angeles	$37,400,000	d
Mark West Union, Measure C	Sonoma	$14,000,000	a
Mountain View-Los Altos Union, Measure A	Santa Clara	$41,300,000	a
Mt. Diablo Unified, Measure C	Contra Costa	$348,000,000	a
Rohnerville, Measure M	Humboldt	$5,000,000	a
Southern Humboldt Unified, Measure L	Humboldt/Mendocino	$25,200,000	a
West Contra Costa Unified, Measure D	Contra Costa	$380,000,000	a
Willits Unified, Measure B	Mendocino	$43,000,000	a

November 2:

Measure	County	Amount	Outcome
Anaheim G	Orange	$169,300,000	a
Aromas-San Juan Z	Monterey/Santa Cruz	$16,100,000	a
Atascadero I-10	San Luis Obispo	$117,000,000	a
Baker Valley D	San Bernardino	$3,200,000	d
Belmont-Redwood I & N	San Mateo	$60,000,000	a (both)
Bennett Valley J	Sonoma	$10,600,000	a
Berkeley I	Alameda	$210,000,000	a
Calistoga A	Sonoma/Napa	$42,000,000	a
Centinela Valley CV	Los Angeles	$98,000,000	a
Claremont CL	Los Angeles	$95,000,000	d
Cloverdale G	Sonoma	$17,000,000	a
Coalinga-Huron E	Monterey/Fresno	$16,100,000	a
Cutler-Orosi T	Fresno/Tulare	$15,000,000	d
Dehasa M	San Diego	$5,500,000	a
Dixon D	Solano	$32,000,000	d
Duarte E	Los Angeles	$62,000,000	a
El Rancho EE	Los Angeles	$52,000,000	a
Emery Unified J	Alameda	$95,000,000	a
Encinatas Union P	San Diego	$44,200,000	a
Fairfax C	Kern	$24,800,000	a
Forestville Union K	Sonoma	$5,100,000	a
Franklin-McKinley J	Santa Clara	$50,000,000	a
Fresno Unified Q	Fresno	$280,000,000	a
Hamilton Unified O	Glenn	$5,400,000	d
Hughson Unified H	Stanislaus	$21,000,000	d
Imperial Community College J	Imperial	$80,000,000	a
Jefferson J	San Joaquin	$35,400,000	a
Julian Union L	San Diego	$2,100,000	a
Junction Elementary C	Shasta	$3,100,000	d
Knightsen Elementary N	Contra Costa	$5,000,000	d
Lynwood Unified L	Los Angeles	$45,000,000	d
Magnolia I	Orange	$16,300,000	a
Martinez Unified K	Contra Costa	$45,000,000	a
Monterey Peninsula P	Monterey	$110,000,000	a
Moreland Elementary K	Santa Clara	$55,000,000	a
Mt. San Jacinto Community College U	Riverside	$47,000,000	d
Northern Humboldt Union Q	Humboldt	$25,800,000	a
Ohlone Community College G	Alameda	$349,000,000	a
Piner-Olivet L	Sonoma	$20,000,000	a
Pittsburg Unified L	Contra Costa	$100,000,000	a
Rialto Unified Y	San Bernardino	$98,000,000	a
Ross Valley A	Marin	$41,000,000	a
Saint Helena Unified B	Napa	$30,000,000	a
San Jose City College G	Santa Clara	$268,000,000	a
San Leandro M	Alameda	$50,000,000	a
San Marcos Unified K	San Diego	$287,000,000	a
San Mateo Union O	San Mateo	$186,000,000	a
Santa Barbara Elementary R	Santa Barbara	$75,000,000	a
Santa Barbara High Q	Santa Barbara	$75,000,000	a
Santa Clara Unified H	Santa Clara	$81,100,000	a
Scott Valley Unified E	Siskiyou	$5,900,000	d
Sierra Plumas Joint C	Plumas/Sierra	$5,000,000	d
Sierra Unified S	Fresno	$9,600,000	d
Sonoma Valley Unified H	Sonoma	$40,000,000	a
Sonora Elementary H	Tuolumne	$3,800,000	d
South San Francisco Unified J	San Mateo	$162,000,000	a
Summerville Union High G	Tuolumne	$8,000,000	d
Twin Hill Union M	Sonoma	$11,000,000	a
Waterford Unified I	Stanislaus	$11,000,000	d
West Sonoma County Union I	Sonoma	$23,800,000	a
Western Placer Unified J	Placer	$163,000,000	d
Wiseburn AA	Los Angeles	$87,000,000	a

2009

2009 school bond question election overview
Status	Number	Dollars	District %	Dollar %
a Approved	2	$69,000,000	50%	79.1%
d Defeated	2	$18,235,000	50%	20.9%
Totals:	4	$87,235,000	100%	100%

Measure	County	Amount	Outcome
Mill Valley, Measure C	Marin	$59,800,000	a
Shoreline Unified, Measure D	Marin, Sonoma	$9,290,000	a
Springville Union, Measure O	Tulare	$6,735,000	d
Springville Union, Measure L	Tulare	$11,500,000	d

2008

2008 school bond question election overview
Status	Number	Dollars	District %	Dollar %
a Approved	140		85.9%
d Defeated	23		14.1%
Totals:	163	-	100%	100%

November 4:

See California school district bond elections, November 2008

Ninety-six (96) school bond requests were on the November 4 ballot and eighty-seven of these were approved. Altogether, $22 billion in debt was incurred in the 87 school districts where bonds were approved. The most expensive bond request was the $7 billion sought and received by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The least expensive request was that of Cold Spring in Santa Barbara County, which sought and received $2.44 million.

Of the nine bond measures that failed, four received less than 50%. The other five that failed got between 50-54.9% of the vote, but failed because to pass, they needed a supermajority vote of at least 55%.

June 3:

See June 3, 2008 ballot measures in California

Forty-six school financing measures were on the June 3 ballot in California. This included:

• 33 school bond measures. 26 passed; 7 failed.
• 13 parcel tax measures. 7 passed; 6 failed.

February 5:

39 school districts asked for additional funding on February 5, 2008. 30 of the 39 passed with more than the 55% approval rate required by Prop 39 for their passage, for a total of approximately $3.9 billion in approved local school construction funds.

Eighteen of the thirty that passed would have failed to gain approval before Proposition 39 lowered the success threshold from two-thirds to 55%. The eighteen that passed because of the 55% threshold that would not have passed with a 2/3 threshold added $2.3 billion in new spending.

$100 billion from 1996-2006

From 1996 to 2006, California voters approved nearly $100 billion in school construction bonds at the state and local level. This total increased with passage of California Proposition 1D (2006) by another $10.4 billion.

In another study, from 1986 through 1999, 450 school districts sponsored 731 general obligation bond elections. 54% of the 731 passed. In those years, two-thirds voter approval was required; this changed in 2000 to 55%.

Statewide school bond measures

• California Proposition 1D (2006)
• California Proposition 47 (2002)

External links

• Cal Tax final election results for November 4
• California City Finance: Local Revenue Measures November 4, 2008
• Never-ending school bonds
• What is a bond?
• California's school finance system
• How to get a bond issue passed, from the National Clearinghouse on Educational Facilities (NCEF)
• February 5 approval of local school bonds
• Results of tax, bond and loan elections in California school districts, 1971-1972
• Local bond elections in California: Some vital statistics, January 2000.
• School districts, including many in valley, on thin ice in refinancing bond debt