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The Antelope Valley Joint Union High School District is asking voters to approve a property tax increase to fund $398 million in renovation and repair projects.
At least 55% of voters need to approve Measure AVH for it to pass.
Official title on the ballot: Antelope Valley High Schools/Job Skills Improvement Measure
You are being asked: Can Antelope Valley Joint Union High School District borrow $398 million to fund repairs, renovations and construction?
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A "yes" vote means: Antelope Valley Joint Union High School District can borrow $398 million to fund repairs, renovations and construction.
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A "no" vote means: Antelope Valley Joint Union High School District cannot borrow $398 million to fund repairs, renovations and construction.
Understanding Measure AVH
The Antelope Valley Joint Union High School District serves about 23,000 students in Lancaster and Palmdale. The district says it needs bond funding to upgrade vocational classrooms, fix deteriorating plumbing and roofs, and make school safety upgrades.
A bond is basically a loan that a school district takes out, and which property owners in that school district pay back through an increase in property taxes.
Make It Make Sense: Election 2024 Edition
If at least 55% of voters approve Measure AVH, Antelope Valley UHSD can issue up to $398 million in bonds to finance specific school facilities projects.
The district estimates the bond would cost property owners that live within the school district's boundaries an average of $20 per $100,000 of assessed value each year. There’s also a possibility that Antelope Valley could get additional state funding if Proposition 2, the statewide school facilities bond, passes in the general election.
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- Find your property’s assessed value on the L.A. County Assessor’s website.
- Divide your assessed value by $100,000 and multiply that number by $20.
- The resulting number is the estimate of the annual property tax increase associated with Measure AVH.
- Remember: Your property’s assessed value will change, but increases are limited to 2% per year, except when a property changes ownership or undergoes new construction.
- Rent? It’s possible that landlords pass increased property taxes on to tenants, but the limits on annual rent hikes depend on where you live.
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City of Los Angeles
- City Council: Vote for districts 2, 10 and 14.
- Charter Amendment ER: A package of ethics reforms designed to fight corruption at City Hall. Plus: Charter Amendments DD, FF, HH and II.
L.A. County
- Board of Supervisors: Measure G would dramatically overhaul county government.
- District Attorney: Criminal justice reform, or more law-and-order justice?
- LAUSD school board: Voters are also deciding on a $9 billion facilities bond and a redistricting measure.
- School district bond measures: Schools have a lot of repair needs.
- Superior Court judges: Plus: Tips to make sure you're putting right person on the bench.
Statewide races
- Whoa! There are 10 propositions on the ballot. Here's your cheat sheet to Props. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36.
Jump to the full Voter Game Plan for dozens more races ▶
What supporters of school bonds say
In California, there’s no dedicated stream of funding to support the upkeep of the 10,000 public K-12 schools attended by 5.9 million students. The majority of the money schools receive from the state every year supports students, staff salaries and other day-to-day expenses.
School districts rely on voters to approve statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new construction. This year Antelope Valley voters will decide whether to support one of each: the district’s Measure AVH and the statewide Prop. 2. (We’ve got a voter guide for that one too.)
Research links higher student achievement to better quality schools — it’s easier to learn in clean, climate-controlled, well-lit classrooms.
Throughout California, 38% of K-12 students go to schools that do not meet the minimum standard to be considered clean, safe, and functional.
If the state and local measures fail, the need for funding will remain.
“Those buildings are not going to magically renovate themselves while we're waiting for a better bond,” said Sara Hinkley, the California program manager at the Center for Cities + Schools at UC Berkeley.
The Antelope Valley Teachers Association, California State Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita), and the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise are among those who submitted an argument in favor of the bond to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.
Read more:
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The lottery does contribute money to public education — L.A. County alone has gotten $11 billion since 1985 — but as revenues ballooned in recent years, school funding stagnated.
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When California voters approved the creation of the lottery, the law required 34 cents of every dollar to fund education. In 2010 lawmakers changed the rules giving the lottery the mandate to “maximize” funding for education.
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Now there are bigger jackpots, but fewer dollars for schools. A 2018 LAist investigation found the lottery’s contributions had dropped to 23 cents per dollar.
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And in 2020, the California State Auditor found the lottery “has not provided required funding to education” and shorted schools tens of millions of dollars.
What critics of school bonds say
In general, critics of bonds say the cost to property owners is too high and question why school districts need money for construction amid declining enrollment.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a frequent opponent of state and local school bonds. The nonprofit is dedicated to upholding Prop. 13, the 1978 constitutional amendment that limited changes to California property taxes.
“We think bond financing has its place, but it should be judicious because it raises property taxes at the local level,” said Susan Shelley, HJTA’s vice president of communications. “It increases the debt burden on future budgets because bond payments have to be made ahead of current needs in the budget.”
The Association doesn't have a position on most local bonds, but is opposed to Los Angeles Unified School District's Measure US, and to the state's Prop. 2.
Shelley said voters weighing school bonds should carefully consider how the school spent previous bond funding and the plans for future projects.
“You should have confidence that the priorities are right,” Shelley said. “And if they're not, say no and make [the district] come back to you with a better plan.”
No individual or group submitted an argument in opposition to the bond to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.
Who is in charge of all this money?
State law lays out several accountability measures for local school district bonds, including:
- The creation of an independent bond oversight committee that includes:
- At least seven members
- Representatives of the business community, taxpayers, and parents. School district employees, vendors, contractors, and consultants cannot be appointed.
- Independent, annual performance audits of bond-funded projects and spending
How long would construction take?
While the measure lists projects that could benefit from improvements, that list is not a guarantee of which projects will be funded.
Bond-funded spending is reviewed by a Bond Oversight Committee. And there are often years of community meetings, design, and permitting between the passage of a bond and the start of construction.
The Antelope Valley Press reported district voters last passed a bond in 2002, the $103.6 million Measure V. Voters rejected bonds in 2006 and 2007.
Potential financial impact
A bond is basically a loan. The bond authorized by Measure AVH would be paid back — with interest — through local property taxes.
Further reading
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