Our view: Vote yes on Prop. 1D and Carlsbad's Prop. P, both smarter choices than misguided Prop. 88

North County Times Opinion staff

On Nov. 7, California voters will have before them ballot initiatives that represent the smart and not-so-smart ways to fund school improvements in the form of Propositions 1D and 88.

We urge you to vote for the smart initiative -- Prop. 1D -- and to reject the not-so-smart Prop. 88. Carlsbad voters have an even smarter option, and should approve Proposition P, Carlsbad Unified School District's $198 million school bond.

Part of the state's massive bond package, Prop. 1D would sell $10.4 billion worth of bonds to fund school construction projects for our K-12 schools, community colleges and universities. That's smart -- bonds should only be used to fund one-time projects that improve the state's infrastructure and long-term assets.

While the K-12 bond funds are split among certain types of projects -- $3.3 billion for modernization, $1.9 billion for new construction and $1 billion to relieve overcrowding -- Prop. 1D still leaves precisely which projects to undertake up to school districts. That's smart.

Prop. 1D also continues the long tradition of requiring local "matching funds" -- usually coming in the form of developer fees and local school bonds. The latter adds another layer of local control, since voters typically approve a specific list of projects.

For instance, if Prop. 1D passes and Carlsbad Unified's Prop. P passes too, the district would be able to use money from Prop. P to garner a matching grant from the state to cover the expansion of Carlsbad High School. That's why folks should vote yes on Prop. P, which would provide the district with $198 million to upgrade its 14 schools, especially the severely overcrowded Carlsbad High.

Another smart move in Prop. 1D is that it would pump $3.1 billion into California's higher education system. Of that total, $1.5 billion would go toward construction at the state's 109 community colleges -- that's a significant boost for the redheaded stepchild of California education. These community colleges, the largest higher education system in the country, are often overlooked as state money gets steered toward K-12 schools and the more prestigious universities.

In contrast to Prop. 1D's smart approach is Prop. 88, which would add $50 to the property tax bill of virtually every landowner in the state. Prop. 88 is so flawed it is opposed by nearly every political and educational group in the state -- Republicans, Democrats, teachers unions and taxpayer advocates.

Though it will tax much of the state, Prop. 88 will raise a mere $450 million a year. That's less than 1 percent of the amount California spends on public education annually already. At such a small sum, individual school districts will actually see very little of that money, if at all. That's not a smart way to help our schools.

Broken down by the state's student population, Prop. 88 would provide $15.87 per student, or about the price of one-fourth of a textbook. Not smart.

Prop. 88 would create the first statewide property tax since 1910, and, because it's so small, could just be a test case to see if voters would approve such a tax.

It's also unclear how exactly the money would be allocated. Prop. 88 leaves it up to the state Legislature to figure out funding formulas and to decide how the money will be divvied up. It would be foolish for voters to approve a statewide tax without knowing how it will be spent.

The state's independent Legislative Analyst's Office says the money raised by the tax would benefit only a handful of schools because of Prop. 88's other provisions, such as one that restricts funding to schools that are already performing well. It would be smarter to provide more resources to schools that are struggling.

When considering the statewide education initiatives Nov. 7, vote yes on Prop. 1D because it smartly funds our schools, and vote no on Prop. 88 because it's just foolish. And locally, vote yes on Prop. P.