Get ready to vote

• Understanding Measure MM
• Another school bond?
• How school bond spending works 
• Who is in charge of the money?
• Arguments for and against school bonds
• Arguments for and against Measure MM
• Further reading

The Inglewood Unified School District is asking voters to approve a property tax increase to fund $396 million in renovation and repair projects.

The measure is the result of “years of thoughtful community input and site inspections,” James Morris, an IUSD administrator, told LAist.

The district estimates the bond would cost property owners who live within the school district's boundaries an average of $60 per $100,000 of assessed value.

At least 55% of voters need to approve Measure MM for it to pass.

Understanding Measure MM

The Inglewood Unified School District serves about 6,000 students across 14 schools.

The district is one of the few in the state to be governed by an outside administrator after a 2012 financial crisis. The governing board serves in an advisory capacity, but does not have direct decision-making power over the district’s finances, staff or curriculum. However, L.A. County educator officials expect the district to regain local control in 2027.

In California, there’s no dedicated stream of funding to support the upkeep of the 10,000 public K-12 schools attended by 5.7 million students. The majority of the money schools receive from the state every year supports students, staff salaries and other day-to-day expenses. And if you’re wondering, “Wasn’t the lottery supposed to fund schools?” well, it does contribute money to public education, but the amount given to schools has stagnated.

Instead, school districts often rely on voters to approve statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations and new construction.

A local bond is basically a loan a school district takes out that property owners in that district pay back through property taxes.

The district estimates the bond would cost property owners who live within the school district's boundaries an average of $60 per $100,000 of assessed value. So a home with an assessed value of $1 million would pay $600 more in property taxes annually through the term of the bond.

The district's top priorities

The district told LAist its top three priorities for bond funding are:

• Keep schools safe and prepared for emergencies.
• Remove asbestos, lead paint and mold.
• Provide safe drinking water.

The district also has a long-term plan for facilities created in 2022.

Inglewood voters approved the $240 million Measure I in 2020. Morris said projects funded by the measure include the renovation of Centinela, Kelso and Bennett-Kew Schools.

Another school bond?

Haven’t California voters approved a lot of money for school construction recently? Yes. In 2024, California voters passed a statewide school facilities bond that designated $8.5 billion for K-12 campus repairs, renovations and construction.

This money is typically available to schools through matching grants — districts must commit local dollars, often from a bond such as Measure MM, to a project before getting money from the state.

Pent-up demand for school repair dollars was so high that schools had already submitted enough project applications to max out the funding set aside for school repairs by the time voters went to the polls in November 2024. There is still funding available for new construction, though demand for this type of funding has declined as districts build fewer schools amid widespread declining enrollment.

How school bond spending works 

While ballot measure language identifies projects that could benefit from improvements, those lists are not a guarantee of which projects will be funded.

There are often years of community meetings, design, permitting and construction between the passage of a bond and the completion of major renovations, though minor upgrades could be completed sooner.

Districts cannot spend bond money on employee salaries and are required to commission independent audits of bond spending.

Who is in charge of the money?

A school district’s elected board often votes to approve large expenditures, such as construction projects.

However, districts must also create an independent committee to oversee bond spending that includes representatives of the business community, taxpayers and parents. School district employees, vendors, contractors and consultants cannot be appointed.

Arguments for and against school bonds

Supporters say

Research links higher student achievement to better quality schools — it’s easier to learn in clean, climate-controlled, well-lit classrooms.

Many of California's schools were built decades ago. Though there is limited data on the condition of school facilities statewide, research suggests nearly a third of K-12 students attend schools that do not meet the minimum standard to be considered clean, safe and functional.

If a bond measure fails, the need for money to fund school repairs will remain.

“It's like a car, once you let it deteriorate past a certain point, it becomes very expensive to maintain,” said Sara Hinkley, a researcher at the Center for Cities + Schools at UC Berkeley. “It's not necessarily cheaper not to pass a bond and to just keep calling contractors out to fix your HVAC every time it fails.”

Critics say

Critics of bonds may say the cost to property owners is too high and question why school districts with declining enrollment need money for construction when they’re serving fewer students.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a frequent opponent of state and local school bonds. The nonprofit is dedicated to upholding Proposition 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, the group’s vice president of communications.

The group has not taken a position on specific local bonds in the 2026 general election.

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.”

Arguments for and against Measure MM

Supporters include the YMCA of Metro Los Angeles, Inglewood Council of PTAs Vice President Marcie Brown, and school board president Carliss McGhee. They are among those who submitted arguments in favor of the bond to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.

No individual or group submitted an argument opposing Measure MM to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.

However, the leader of the Inglewood teachers union has said he does not support the new bond unless more details are provided about past bond spending.

“They have to show accountability before asking the voters for another bond,” John Hughes, president of the Inglewood Teachers Association, told the LA Local. “It’s just responsible stewardship.”

At least one school board candidate, incumbent Brandon Myers, also told The LA Local that he does not support the bond.

Further reading

• The school board resolution calling for the bond election
• Inglewood teachers push back against $396 million bond measure to upgrade district properties
• What is a bond? Why am I always being asked to vote for one?
• California voters greenlit billions of dollars to fix schools. How much has it helped?