FAQ

Measure RR DEFINED: Measure RR is a local school bond measure for Los Angeles (LA) public schools on the November 3, 2020 ballot seeking voter authorization to repair and renovate schools, technology and other capital assets within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). To pass, Measure RR must secure at least 55% support among local voters casting ballots in the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election and voting on RR. A “YES vote” authorizes funding to repair and renovate aging schools; a “NO vote” rejects funding to improve schools. All LAUSD residents registered to vote within LAUSD boundaries are eligible to vote on RR.

Every student deserves access to a safe, secure, and updated school, that supports 21st century teaching and learning. With that said, the reality for LA schools is that while some new schools have been built, and others have been modernized, more than 70% of our public-school buildings were built more than 50 years ago. Many are deteriorating and do not meet today’s standards for learning and safety. Such disparity is unfair and puts students at risk of falling behind in preparing for college and careers simply because of where they live. Measure RR will make sure that more students get access to updated and modernized schools.

• Over 500 schools serving approximately 380,000 students need to be comprehensively modernized to provide equity between newer schools and older, aging schools;
• Approximately 500 school buildings at schools serving more than 175,000 students, need to be evaluated for earthquake safety and many will need to be retrofitted, modernized or replaced for earthquake safety;
• Approximately 500 schools need new or updated science labs, as well as expanded and renovated art, music, and performing arts spaces;
• Nine million square feet of school roofs and 38,000 school heating ventilation and air conditioning units are old, unreliable, and need replacement;
• Hundreds of schools require a camera/buzzer system to provide a secure, controlled, entry point to help keep them safe and secure;
• Over 500 schools need public address and intercommunications systems replaced now;
• Schools now need COVID-19 adaptations such as well-ventilated spaces, hand sanitizing stations, touchless faucets, automatic flush urinals and toilets, motion sensor hand dryers, touchless/hands-free/automatic doors, and physical barriers such as clear plastic sneeze guards to help keep students, teachers and staff safe:

Measure RR will:

• Update school and learning technology
• Complete basic and necessary school site upgrades
• Reduce/remove asbestos, lead paint, and water quality hazards in schools
• Modernize science, technology, engineering, and math classrooms and labs for 21st century learning
• Improve accessibility, earthquake safety and school security
• Upgrade schools to COVID-19 cleanliness and distancing standards for student, faculty and staff safety.

By law, ALL Measure RR funds MUST stay local, dedicated to LA schools ONLY.

• RR will provide clean, renewable energy improvements, resulting in more sustainable learning environments, communities, and healthier students and faculty
• RR will comprehensively modernize more aging and deteriorating schools
• RR will construct and expand school-based wellness clinics
• RR will provide upgraded athletic/recreational facilities
• RR will upgrade aging, outdated HVAC, plumbing, roofing and flooring systems and unsafe paving
• RR will provide more outdoor learning spaces
• RR will provide more career technical education facilities
• RR will provide safe, upgraded early childhood education facilities
• RR will replace and upgrade adult and career centers so they are safe, functional, support 21st century learning and align with regional industry sectors and career pathways
• RR will upgrade, modernize and/or construct charter school facilities
• RR will replace and upgrade aging, undersized and inadequate school cafeterias
• RR will improve school safety, security, network, and emergency communications systems
• RR will replace outdated and inefficient school buses to meet 21st century environmental and safety standards

“SCHOOL UPGRADES AND SAFETY MEASURE: To update classrooms/labs/technology for 21st century learning; implement COVID-19 facility safety standards; address school facility inequities; reduce asbestos, earthquake and water quality hazards; and replace/renovate aging school classrooms/buildings, shall Los Angeles Unified School District’s measure be adopted authorizing $7,000,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, levying approximately $0.02174 per $100 of assessed valuation, generating an estimated $329,528,000 annually until approximately 2055, with independent audits, citizens' oversight, no funds for administrative salaries?”

At least 55% of the voters who cast their ballots on Measure RR in the November 3, 2020 Election must vote in favor of RR for it to be approved. Measure RR is being sought under the provisions of Article XIIA, Section 1(b)(3) of the California Constitution, and the Strict Accountability in Local School Construction Bonds Act of 2000 (State Proposition 39), which prohibits use of bond funds for operations or teacher and administrator salaries, and also requires an independent oversight committee and annual independent financial and performance audits on the use of bond proceeds.

LAUSD maintenance and operations staff work hard to keep our schools in adequate working condition with limited resources. The District is funded to perform regular, routine and general building maintenance, however due to systems aging over time and the impact of decades of inadequate funding and overcrowding, many building systems and components can no longer be maintained and need to be replaced with new updated systems now. In fact over $50 Billion of unfunded school facility needs have been identified, and the list of needs continues to grow every year. Without RR, facilities improvements would not be made -- facilities would merely be maintained, and patchwork, band-aid solutions would need to put in place to try and help our school buildings be able to adequately operate.

Unfortunately, Lottery funds can only be used for classroom instruction, not facilities, technology, or other capital upgrades. Moreover, the money LAUSD receives from the Lottery each year comprises less than 2% of its annual General Fund Budget. Proposition 30 funds, approved by California voters in November 2012, restored earlier classroom cuts but did not provide any “new” funding for schools or school facilities. Neither Lottery nor Prop 30 funds can provide the funding solution that LA schools need for repairs, upgrades, and modernization.

The children of LA are fortunate to live in a community where there is consistent, longstanding support for local public schools. In fact, local voters have passed several bonds over two decades to address needed school upgrades. BUT, the last bond LA voters approved for our schools was Measure Q, 12 years ago. Even with Q and previous voter-approved bond funds, our local public schools continue to age and most do not meet today’s standards for teaching and safety. Currently, $50 Billion of unfunded school facility needs have been identified, with the list of needs growing every year. Measure RR is on the ballot to secure funding to continue upgrading our schools and addressing facilities inequities. Passing a local school bond is the most common way California communities fund school improvements. Passing RR will qualify LA schools for state matching funds when they become available, leveraging local taxpayer dollars even further. Without RR, state matching funds that become available will go to other school districts that have passed local school bonds.

Every single dollar of voter-approved funding, including approximately $5.4 billion of local voter-approved bond funds, is accounted for — earmarked for critical safety, modernization, and basic/ necessary school site upgrades. Bonds aren’t sold before money is needed, which is fiscally prudent and in the best interest of property owners. It is important to note, that current allocated yet unspent funding is woefully inadequate to meet the need to provide safe, updated schools for all LA students.

Measure RR is structured so that it WON’T increase the tax rate that LAUSD property owners are paying at the time of the election to support neighborhood schools. Instead, RR will extend the repayment period for all LAUSD bonds WITHOUT increasing the tax rate. The average RR tax rate over the life of the bond is projected to be 2.174 cents per $100 of assessed value while bonds are outstanding (projected to be approximately 34 years). (Assessed value should not be confused with market value. The assessed value of property may be much lower than its market value.) Measure RR will extend the current property tax rate by only five more years, to 2054-55!

YES. As the LA Region continues to emerge from the devastating impact of COVID 19, passage of RR will bring a welcome boost to our local economy. RR projects will generate thousands of construction jobs. Local contractors, laborers, suppliers and neighborhood businesses will benefit as projects are implemented. Economic stimulation from RR across our community will help stimulate and revive our struggling economy when we need it most. Also important to note: voting YES on RR does not mean the school district will issue all the bonds immediately. In fact, the District has the ability to control when bonds are issued depending on the timing of spending, market conditions and other factors. Bonds aren’t sold before money is needed, which is fiscally prudent and in the best interest of property owners.

Taxpayer protections are REQUIRED. All Measure RR funds stay local - they cannot be taken away by the State or used for other purposes. ONLY facilities, technology, equipment and furniture upgrades are allowed. Funds are legally restricted from being used for teacher and administrator salaries and school operating expenses. Measure RR is subject to strict independent oversight and accountability. LAUSD’s oversight measures have been in place for 20 years and have safeguarded against improper spending. In fact, Measure RR includes oversight commitments well beyond what is required by law. This Committee is responsible for monitoring bond finances to ensure the public that the money is being spent properly and in accordance with the voter-approved Measure RR Project List. RR also requires annual independent audits and annual public reporting on use of bond proceeds.

LAUSD has had a Citizens Oversight Committee in place for over 20 years, even before it was required by law. The Committee must consist of at least seven members of the public, and cannot include any District employee, vendor or contractor. Members of the Citizens Oversight Committee include representatives from a senior citizens’ organization, a parent or guardian, a taxpayer association, a local business organization, and a member that is both a parent or a guardian of a child enrolled in the District and active in a parent-teacher organization. The LAUSD School Construction Bond Citizens’ Oversight Committee actually has a total of 15 members, with additional representatives from the Los Angeles City Controller’s Office, the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller’s Office, and the Los Angeles City Mayor’s Office, to name a few. The role of the Committee is to review copies of the annual independent audits of bond finances; inspect District facilities to ensure the revenues are being spent properly; review copies of maintenance proposals or plans developed by the District; and review the District’s efforts to maximize bond revenues by implementing cost-saving programs. No members of the Committee are compensated for their service. As stated in the Full Text of Measure RR, the Committee will be given the opportunity to review and make a recommendation to the Board on a proposed project, and report on the proper anticipated expenditure of taxpayers’ money before each project is considered by the Board and included in a Strategic Execution Plan.

The State does provide funding, but there is a long wait list, considerable uncertainty and no guarantees. In fact, the State requires that a school district provide matching funds in order to secure state funds and passing a local bond is the ONLY way to secure additional State funding when it becomes available.

Once the measure is approved, the District will immediately focus on developing project proposals to address the most critical school facilities needs, with a focus on safety and equity. Each project proposal must be presented to the independent oversight committee for consideration and approved by the Board of Education in a public meeting before a single bond dollar can be spent. A schedule for funding projects will be developed so projects can be completed on time and within budget.

Quality schools are the foundation of healthy, thriving communities. Good schools help maintain property values, contribute to jobs and the local economy, and keep communities strong.

As upgrades are delayed due to lack of funding, LA school facilities will become more impacted and will continue to deteriorate. The current $50 Billion in unfunded school facility needs already identified, will continue to grow. The quality of instruction will suffer without updated classrooms and facilities. Possible future State matching funds that will be available to communities that have passed bond measures, may be exhausted and no longer available. The longer we wait to make these improvements, the more expensive they will be.

All eligible residents within Los Angeles Unified School District’s boundaries who are registered to vote by October 19 are eligible to vote on Measure RR.

The last day to register to vote is October 19, 2020 online or by postmark. Additionally, anyone can register to vote conditionally until your information is verified. Visit www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov to learn more.

The locally elected Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District is the legal entity that placed Measure RR on the ballot. Ultimately, LAUSD registered voters will have the final say on whether or not Measure RR is implemented when they vote on the measure in the November 3, 2020 election.