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As lawmakers finalize a school facilities bond for the November ballot, some superintendents from low-income and small districts say the proposal leaves them with an all-too-familiar feeling: underfunded and overlooked.

鈥淎m I mad? Yeah, I am very mad,鈥� said Gudiel Crosthwaite, superintendent of Lynwood Unified, in a low-income area in Los Angeles County. 鈥淐alifornia has a responsibility to educate its children, regardless of where they live. This bond favors larger, higher-wealth districts at the expense of districts like ours.鈥�

Lawmakers struck a deal late Saturday night on , a $10 billion bond that would pay for repairs and upgrades at K-12 schools and community colleges throughout the state. Schools desperately need the money: The current fund for school repairs is nearly empty and the voters rejected the state鈥檚 last school facilities bond, in 2020.

Everyone agrees on the need for money to fix dry rot and build new science labs. But some superintendents, as well as the civil rights law firm Public Advocates, had been pushing for a more equitable way to distribute the money. Currently, the state doles out facilities funding through 50-50 matching grants, which means that districts that can raise a lot of money locally 鈥� typically, higher-income areas 鈥� can get more state money.

Public Advocates has threatened to sue California if it doesn鈥檛 adopt a wider sliding scale for distributing the money. The current deal does include a sliding scale, but it鈥檚 only from 60% to 65%, not the 5% to 90% that Public Advocates wanted. Under the deal鈥檚 scale, the state鈥檚 wealthiest districts would only get slightly less than its poorest.

Also under the current proposal, schools could get more money if they hire union contractors for their construction projects. That gives an edge to urban areas where union labor is easier to find.

Brooke Patton, spokeswoman for the State Building and Trades Council of California, said hiring union workers would benefit any school project because the workers are highly trained and efficient. Union projects also include apprentices, who may be from the local community.

鈥淣ot only does California end up with new school facilities, but also a new generation of workers who can afford to live in California and contribute to our economy for years to come 鈥� a worthy investment of public funds,鈥� Patton said. 

The bill still needs to pass both houses with a two-thirds majority and be signed by the governor this week. To go into effect, it needs approval from a simple majority of voters in the fall.

鈥業t鈥檚 a compromise鈥�

While the bill doesn鈥檛 satisfy every need for California鈥檚 schools, it鈥檚 better than nothing, some education advocates said this week.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not perfect; it鈥檚 a compromise,鈥� said Derick Lennox, senior director at California County Superintendents, which represents school administrators and is supporting the bill. 鈥�(The bond) takes incremental, important steps toward equity that will do a lot of good.鈥�

The bill includes some help for smaller and low-income districts, such as providing extra money to hire project managers and expanding the number of districts that qualify for hardship funds. It also sets aside 10% of the money for small districts.

The California School Boards Association is also supporting the bill, along with a companion bill, , sponsored by Assemblymember , a Republican from Folsom, that would provide more relief for small and low-income districts if the school bond passes in November. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e more than sympathetic to the needs of small districts,鈥� said association spokesperson Troy Flint. 鈥淏ut times are tight, and we feel it鈥檚 crucial to get a school bond on the ballot. 鈥� It鈥檚 not what we need, but it鈥檚 what we could get. Now we have to focus on getting it passed, for the health and safety of California students.鈥�

Old heaters, outdated kitchens, no AC

Trinity County Superintendent Fabio Robles said that some of the schools in his county are so dilapidated that any money is welcome. Passing local bonds is almost impossible, he said, because the county is so poor. So schools are almost totally reliant on the state for repairs.

In Lewiston, the gym has no air conditioning and the kitchen dates from the 1950s, Robles said. At Van Duzen Elementary, a small K-8 school in the mountains, the heater is 40 years old. 

鈥淲ould a 5-90% sliding scale have been better? Yes. But what鈥檚 being proposed now will be a big help to us,鈥� Robles said. 鈥淚鈥檒l take that any day of the week.鈥�

In Lynwood, Superintendent Crosthwaite said he鈥檚 tired of low-income students having to put up with broken air conditioners and leaky roofs while their more affluent peers enjoy state-of-the-art facilities. His district, for example, is going to ask voters this fall to approve a bond for $80 million. Across town, Pasadena Unified is moving forward with a $900 million school facilities bond. If the state offers matching grants, Pasadena will get even more money.

Meanwhile, students in Lynwood Unified lack basic facilities, he said. A middle school only has a blacktop, no green space. An elementary school lacks hot water. The district doesn鈥檛 have enough performance spaces or science labs. 

鈥淥ur kids think this is normal. It should not be 鈥榥ormal,鈥欌�� Crosthwaite said. 鈥淚n California we call ourselves progressive, but we need to take a hard look at how we allocate our resources.鈥�

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