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Proposition 47: An important vote for education Each year an estimated one million new students crowd into California's schools. Analysts figure that the state will need 331 new schools over the next decade, just to keep even with enrollment growth. The Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act, which will appear as Proposition 47 on the November 5 ballot, provides $13 billion to repair and modernize old schools, build new ones, and retrofit buildings throughout California's college and university campuses. If passed, Proposition 47 will provide funds for repairs and seismic retrofits in K-12 schools - for example, more than $4 million is slated to aid the Berkeley Unified School District. The measure would also fund capital and seismic improvements on campuses of the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges. At UC Berkeley, where the Hayward Fault runs directly under the eastern edge of the campus, Proposition 47, if approved by voters, will provide $20 million to continue seismic strengthening and repair that began with the passage of Proposition 1A in 1998. One-third of campus space at UC Berkeley received a seismic safety rating of "poor" or "very poor" in an structural analysis completed in 1997. For more information, call UC Berkeley Government Affairs at (510) 642-3736. |
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