November 8, 2016 Ballot Prop. 51

Proposition 51: Public School Facilities Improvement


Official Results

Available once the California Secretary of State has certified the election. This can take up to 3 weeks or more.

Yes votes: 7,516,142 (55.2%)
No votes: 6,104,294 (44.8%)

Authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds for new construction and modernization of K–12 public school facilities; charter schools and vocational education facilities; and California Community Colleges facilities. Fiscal Impact: State costs of about $17.6 billion to pay off both the principal ($9 billion) and interest ($8.6 billion) on the bonds. Payments of about $500 million per year for 35 years.

Pro/Con Statements

ProCon
Proponents believe Proposition 51 will maintain and upgrade school facilities as required by the School Facilities Act of 1998. They believe the measure will bring new jobs, provide job training, and encourage education through the construction of charter schools and community colleges.
Opponents claim that Proposition 51 will create bond debt that the state cannot afford. They believe that local school bond measures are better than state bonds because local communities can control spending. They also claim that the measure would give wealthier school districts a better chance of applying for and receiving funds.
SupportersOpponents
No on 51 Facebook