A “yes” or “no” vote could impact whether school districts receive billions of dollars for repairs and upgrades. NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes reports.
Decision 2024: What to Know
- San Diego Voter's Guide: Everything you need to know about voting in the 2024 Presidential Election
- When is the deadline to vote? Election Day is Nov. 5, 2024. For more important dates, click here.
- Where to vote early: Early voting is underway now through Election Day. Starting Nov. 2, more than 200 locations opened for in-person early voting. Find a location here.
- How to vote by mail: Every San Diego County voter receives a ballot in the mail. Fill it out, sign it, and return it at hundreds of drop-off locations across the county.
- Who is on the ballot? Enter your address here to find candidates on the state and national level. Follow NBC 7's Decision 2024 for more on local measures and candidates.
- What propositions are on the ballot? Here are all 10 California ballot propositions for the 2024 election, explained
- Report a problem: Here's how to report incidents at the polls
In his nine years as president of the watchdog group San Diego County Taxpayers Association, Haney Hong said the 22 bonds on this year's ballot is the most he’s ever seen.
“We are getting to a place where buildings don't last as long as they should,” he said. “Air conditioning units die sooner.”
The largest K-12 school bond on San Diegans’ ballots is Sweetwater Union High School District’s at $647 million.
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On the county’s ballot list, the district's reasons for needing the money are to repair and upgrade its schools. This includes removing asbestos/lead, providing safe drinking water and fixing gas/sewer lines and restrooms.
For taxpayers, this will mean paying $30 more each year for every $100,000 in property value. This is the case for other bonds on the ballot for Alpine Union, San Ysidro and South Bay Union districts.
“People are worried about inflation and the cost of living, and that makes them a little bit more reticent to support anything that might increase their property taxes,” Thad Kousser, a UC San Diego political science professor, said.
Decision 2024
This explains the catch 22 of schools direly needing bond funding, but voters having less money to pay for it.
Bonds are loans used specifically for facility upgrades. Unlike general state funding, bonds cannot pay for teacher salaries.
The K-12 district asking for the least money is Dehesa School District. It’s a smaller district that wants $3.3 million to pay for classroom renovations, restrooms, school facilities, replacing leaky roofs and updating HVAC systems.
The County Taxpayers Association opposes five districts' bonds on the ballot, including Chula Vista Elementary, South Bay Union, Lemon Grove, Dehesa and Sweetwater Union.
Hong said this was for various reasons like the districts not giving a clear plan for the money.
“When they're not sharing detailed plans, it's either they don't have the detailed plans, which is a problem, or they don't want to be transparent, which is another problem,” he said.
NBC 7 reached out to both Dehesa and Sweetwater Union districts and haven’t heard back, but these districts told The San Diego Union-Tribune they’re worried the Taxpayers Association opposing their measures will cost them voters at the polls and much needed funding.
