Banning, Beaumont Schools: How Much Are Voters Willing To Pay?

SAN GORGONIO PASS AREA, CA — Election Day is nearing, and a lot is at stake in the Banning and Beaumont unified school districts.

Voters in both jurisdictions are being asked to weigh in on measures that, if passed, promise to rehab aging campus structures and enhance school safety. The measures come with a price tag — in the form of higher property taxes.

In the Banning USD, Measure O is on the ballot. A "yes" vote supports authorizing the district to issue $74 million in bonds, requiring an estimated property tax levy below $51 per $100,000 of assessed value, to repair aging infrastructure and upgrade security systems.

In the Beaumont USD, Measure E is on the ballot. A "yes" vote supports authorizing the district to issue $148 million in bonds, requiring an estimated property tax levy of $28 per $100,000 of assessed value, to improve safety, repair roofs, and upgrade school facilities.

With both measures, a 55 percent supermajority vote is required to pass.

The Banning and Beaumont districts are not alone in asking voters to approve bond measures. According to an Oct. 4 article in EdSource, more than one in four California school districts are asking local voters to approve similar measures.

As the article points out, unlike school districts' operating money, which mostly comes from the state, school construction and repairs remain largely a local responsibility, paid for by bonds funded by property taxes.

Bonds are essentially loans that are paid back, usually over 25 or 30 years, with interest.

This election season, California school districts have ramped up attempts to pass bond measures.

The reason 2024 is so relevant?: The districts that pass their measures will jockey for some of the $10 billion in matching state funding that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature are asking voters to approve by passing Proposition 2.

If passed, Prop. 2 authorizes $10 billion in general obligation bonds for repair, upgrade, and construction of facilities at K-12 public schools (including charter schools), community colleges, and career technical education programs, including for improvement of health and safety conditions and classroom upgrades.

The fiscal impact?: Increased state costs of about $500 million annually for 35 years to repay the bond, according to Prop. 2's language.

For Banning and Beaumont unified school districts, much is on the line at the local and state levels.