Will California voters pay for school repairs by raising property taxes?

This election, California school districts are counting on voters to pass dozens of local and state measures to fund badly needed repairs.

In L.A. County, 26 districts are seeking $15 billion through school facilities ballot measures.

Lynwood Unified School District is one of them. The Southeast L.A. district serves more than 11,000 students across 18 schools, and it faces challenges common to other districts in the region: a high number of students from low-income, underserved families, and declining enrollment that results in fewer dollars from the state.

Earlier this summer, LAist visited Lynwood schools to better understand the context for this fall's many school bonds.

The district’s Measure U asks voters to approve a property tax increase to fund $80 million in renovation and repair projects.

LUSD wants money to fix deteriorating roofs, plumbing, and electrical systems; improve safety and security systems; and repair, construct, and acquire classrooms and labs, among other things.

Century-old buildings

At Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, the first stop is the school’s cafeteria and a makeshift kitchen inside a former theater built in the 1930s. Tables inside the cafeteria are bolted down because the floors are slanted; students have to eat facing forward.

“It's one of the original buildings in the city of Lynwood,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Gretchen Janson. “Which is great, but it also does not necessarily meet the needs of students in 2024.”

Tables inside the cafeteria at Woodrow Wilson Elementary are bolted down, because the space was originally a theatre and the floors are slanted.

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The more than 500 students who attend Wilson have to eat facing forward.

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“It's not a welcoming, warm environment for our students,” Janson added.

The set-up is also a challenge for staff like Alejandra Ceja, who wakes up at 4 a.m to prepare food at the district’s central kitchen about 20 minutes away.

The food is trucked over to the school and stored in warmers clustered in front of the former theater’s stage.

Alejandra Ceja runs the cafeteria at Woodrow Wilson Elementary. She has prepared and served meals to students for a decade.

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Gretchen Janson, the assistant superintendent at Lynwood Unified School District. “For us the, the most important bond is our local measure because we need to be able to get those dollars one way or another,” Janson said. “Without the state bond passing on top of that, we just won't be able to meet all of our needs.”

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Ceja says with a full kitchen, her day would be less hectic and the student’s food fresher.

“We need an area where the kids, they can eat, so we could improve the service,” Ceja said.

Throughout the state, 38% of K-12 students go to schools that do not meet the minimum standard to be considered clean, safe, and functional, according to research from the Public Policy Institute of California.

Part of the reason Wilson has gone this long without a proper cafeteria is that California does not provide ongoing funding for school upkeep and construction.

Districts rely on voter-approved statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new buildings. This year, Lynwood voters will decide on one of each: the district’s Measure U and the statewide Proposition 2. (We’ve got a voter guide for that one, too.)

Signs of damage to one of the benches in the main courtyard at Hosler Middle School.

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One of the many areas inside of Woodrow Wilson Elementary that need repair. Many California schools are at least 50 years old. Some Lynwood campuses date to the 1920s.

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The roles of taxes and equity

A handful of residents signed a statement opposing Lynwood’s bond measure. They argue taxpayers are already overburdened and already paying off bond measures passed in 2012 and 2016.

Districts that pass bonds must commission independent, annual audits of taxpayer-funded projects and create an oversight committee that includes community members.

Research shows the current facilities funding system directs more money to larger, more affluent school districts, in part because they have higher property values.

A storm damaged the roof covering the walkway between some classrooms and the library.

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The sagging structure is now gone, but there are exposed pipes held up with wooden braces.

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Districts in poorer communities can raise fewer dollars — even if they serve more students — and are more reliant on limited state funding.

“Lower income and smaller school communities will always be playing catch-up,” said Lynwood Superintendent Gudiel Crosthwaite.

One of the most persistent problems are the district’s roofs. The district said there were more than 140 roof leaks last year.

“Unfortunately, we find ourselves being reactive because we haven't had the funds to be able to put on fully new roofs,” Janson said.

Sometimes classes must be temporarily relocated while repairs are made.

“Students lose learning minutes when they have to pack up all their things, move elsewhere,” Janson said. “Teachers can't be as effective at being instructors when they don't have all their materials with them.”

The next Lynwood school LAist visits is Hosler Middle, home of the Lions.

Gabriela Camacho, the assistant principal at Hosler Middle School and an alumna. “It looks very similar to the way it did when I was growing up,” Camacho said — including the girls locker room.

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Hosler Middle School has made small improvements where it can, including the mural featuring the school’s mascot in the middle of campus.

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Assistant Principal Gabriela Camacho is a school alum — and a Lynwood City Councilmember.

Camacho said that in addition to being safe, the goal is to create a campus the community is proud of.

“They want to see the schools looking good, looking nice, fixing things that need to be fixed,” Camacho said. “Making it look like somewhere you want to take your kids and for them to enjoy being there.”