Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom has endorsed the $9 billion state school facilities bond that will appear on the November 2016 ballot.
“The lack of equal opportunity in a student’s educational experience has serious consequences for both the individual student and our state’s economic future. We know that a strong, equitable public education system is a powerful factor in children’s lives, which is why I’m supporting the state school facility bond that ensures every district is able to access funds to create modern 21st Century schools,” said Lt. Governor Newsom. “Every teacher and student needs and deserves a high quality teaching and learning environment that will help students thrive. Passing the bond in November will be a significant step towards that goal.”
Lt. Governor Newsom has served as an advocate for an affordable and accessible public higher education system as a member of the Board of Regents of the University of California and a member of the Board of Trustees of the California State University systems. Additionally, as Mayor of San Francisco, he worked to close the opportunity gap by spearheading programs such as the San Francisco Promise and Kindergarten to College, the nation’s first universal children’s savings account program to help give every student access to college.
The last statewide school facilities bond was passed by California voters in 2006, and there currently exists a backlog of $2 billion in K-12 project applications and almost $500 million in approved community college projects, with billions more in identified need.
The school facility bond will provide funding to the following categories:
- $3 billion for new construction;
- $3 billion for modernization;
- $2 billion for community colleges; and
- $500 million each for CTE facilities and charters.
For more information on the Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, please visit www.CaliforniansForQualitySchools.com.
