The Redondo Beach Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday night to place a bond on the November ballot that would pay for classroom technology and solar panels at every school, the Easy Reader reported.
The $63 million bond—which comes only four years after residents voted in favor of the $145 million Measure C—will indirectly help close a $2 million budget shortfall, the newspaper reported. With the new solar technology, the district will save $500,000-$700,000 annually in utility bills; in total, the district estimates it wills ave about $2.2 million annually during the first 10 years of the 20-year bond.
Bond monies cannot be used to pay for teacher salaries and other general fund expenses.
If the bond measure passes, taxpayers will pay about $24 per $100,000 assessed property value annually.
is also worried about the outcome of two additional tax measures on the November ballot. One, authored by California Gov. Jerry Brown, calls for a half-cent increase in the sales tax for four years, as well as increasing the income tax for five years for individuals earning more than $250,000 per year.
A second initiative by civil attorney Molly Munger would increase the income tax for 12 years.
Brown's measure would raise about $10 billion annually, while Munger's would raise $7 billion per year.
If Brown's measure does not pass, the school district expects to institute up to 17 furlough days to close the budget gap, something that teachers have protested.
RBUSD is one of only a handful of local school districts that has never instituted a furlough day.
- Full story: RBUSD Seeks $63 Million Bond [Easy Reader]
