Statewide measure could improve air, water systems at SFUSD schools

San Francisco’s record heat wave earlier this month tested The City’s aging public-school facilities, which a pair of local and statewide November ballot measures aim to address.

Officials in the San Francisco Unified School District have thrown their support behind citywide Proposition A — a $790 million bond requiring 55% of the vote to pass — and statewide Proposition 2 , a $10 billion facilities bond that earmarks $8.5 billion for K-12 schools and needs only a simple majority to pass.

While the former promises to improve ventilation and water quality in The City’s public schools, the latter sets aside $4 billion for “the modernization of school facilities,” specifically mentioning “[the] purchase and installation of air-conditioning equipment and insulation materials.”

The vast majority of funding for school facility repairs comes from local bond measures, which are fortified by state bonds. But funds from the most recent statewide school bond — passed in 2016 — have almost run out.

“When local districts raise money through bond measures, they can then apply for those matching [state] funds,” said Sara Hinkley, California program manager at the UC Berkeley Center for Cities + Schools. “Right now, that money is set to [run out] in 2025 unless Proposition 2 passes.”

More than 250 school districts in California — or about one-fourth of all school districts in the state — placed facilities bonds on next month’s ballot.

“A lot of districts put measures on the ballot in November, in hopes of being able to apply for and secure some state funding,” Hinkley said. “For many districts, that is the only way they will be able to fund some projects.”

Opponents of the measure say the funds should come from the state budget rather than taxpayers. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said its passage would result in higher property-tax bills because school districts have to apply for matching funds from the state, requiring the issuance of additional local school bonds. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated the repayment cost at $18 billion over 35 years,

“California’s schools are consistently ranked near the lowest in the country. Rather than throwing nearly $20 billion into school construction projects, our state needs a well thought out, long-term solution to achieve a high standard of excellence in reading, writing, and math. Prop. 2 does nothing to improve classroom instruction or help our children succeed,” Assemblymember Bill Essayli wrote in a balllot argument against the proposition.

Public Advocates, a San Francisco nonprofit, said it couldn’t support the measure — but would not take a formal position — on the grounds the group “remains concerned about the inequitable distribution of these funds that continue to prioritize wealthier districts ... over high needs districts,” pointing to studies showing that California’s 60% match for modernization funds provides far more money on a per-student basis to the state’s wealthiest districts than its poorest ones.

Kate Levitt, a spokesperson for SFUSD’s bond program, said the statewide measure “really maximizes what public schools are able to do and how they’re able to maintain aging facilities.”

District Superintendent Matt Wayne said it’s critical the statewide measure passes.

“Even what we raise from our [local] bonds, our needs exceed that amount,” Wayne said.

A September statewide survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found more than half of voters surveyed supported Prop. 2’s passage.

The PPIC published a report in 2020 finding that 38% of California students attend schools that don’t meet the state’s minimum safety standards — and research shows that public-school buildings with leaky roofs, poor air ventilation, water quality, and old air conditioning and heating systems predominantly serve students of color and socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School, located in the heart of the Mission district, was the recipient of previous local-bond funds that facilitated much-needed repairs at the 100-year-old school. SFUSD will upgrade heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems there, but one supervisorial candidate highlighted a need for clean-water access during the recent heat wave.

District 9 candidate Jackie Fielder said she delivered water jugs and ice to the school and “was shocked to learn SFUSD admin hasn’t had water jugs refilled” as temperatures rose above 90 degrees.

“This is a school serving predominantly students of color, treated as second-class citizens,” she said.

Buena Vista Horace Mann parents have voiced concerns over unclean water on campus after elevated levels of lead were found in its faucets in 2022. Prop. 2 would dedicate more than $100 million to remove lead from drinking water.

The statewide measure also includes funding matches for climate-friendly projects, including schoolyard upgrades to remove heat-absorbing asphalt and increase shade.

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill last month that would have created a master plan for climate-resilient schools, including whether and when school buildings’ heating, ventilation, and air conditioning were last modernized.

State officials do not currently collect data on air conditioning in schools, and while San Francisco does not bear the brunt of climate change as heavily as other state districts, the need for improved air-quality systems is highlighted in SFUSD’s own master facilities plan dictating how local bond money will be spent.

According to the plan, the district does not currently have the funds to conduct air-quality ventilation work at all its school sites, and the majority of SFUSD schools rely on passive ventilation from windows. The cost to install mechanical ventilation systems “could range from $2.4 million for an average elementary-sized school site to a high of $9.5 million for a larger high school-sized site,” according to the plan.

Prop. 2’s supporters, which include statewide organizations (California State PTA, California Federation of Teachers) and local ones (Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club), have raised more than $8.4 million, according to filings with the California Secretary of State. Its opponents have raised no money.