Local Bond Elections
Despite California’s well-publicized economic downturn, and despite the absence of a K-University statewide facilities bond on the November 4, 2008, ballot, voters supported every single one of the ten local community college (CCC) facilities bonds on Tuesday’s ballot. The outcomes were a testament to the communities’ perceptions of and support for their local community colleges.
The votes also represented good news in the context of the growth that CCCs are currently experiencing—10.2% according to a recent survey. Even before the sour economy and increased fees at the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) caused students to flock to CCC, the Department of Finance had projected significant increases in higher education enrollment over the decade spanning from 2005 to 2015, with 78% of the higher education enrollment growth occurring in CCC.
Funding for CCC facilities has traditionally come from a combination of state and local bonds. Since the CCC won’t see a statewide facilities bond until at least 2010, the success of the local bond measures should encourage other districts that want to move forward sooner in addressing facilities needs. See Attachment A for a description of the bonds and the vote percentages.
—Deborah Harmon and Carmen Thompson