California School Facilities, Public Buildings in Dire Need of Expansion, Updating, Repair; Dedicated Funding Needed.

News Editors

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2002

California's school facilities and public buildings are in dire need of expansion, updating and repair, the nonprofit California Rebuild America Coalition (CalRAC) said today.

The state Office of Public School Construction estimates that California will need to add 46,000 new classrooms -- the equivalent of 1,175 new schools -- to meet the demand created by 1 million new students expected to be added to enrollment rolls by 2010. Currently, over 2,000 classroom and construction repair projects have received approval but cannot break ground because the state's matching funds have run dry.

"California has been experiencing rapid population growth which has placed a greater demand on public facilities, including schools," said Bill Hauck, president of the California Business Roundtable. "It is essential to provide students with a quality learning environment and give the business community a well-educated workforce that will guide California's future growth and economic prosperity."

Other public buildings face similar problems, according to Sarah Layton Wallace, CalRAC executive vice president. Over $2 billion is needed for public library modernization, $339 million is needed for new court facilities, and many hospitals and emergency response facilities need seismic upgrades, Wallace said.

"Schools, libraries, courts and other public buildings are an essential part of the fabric of our community," Wallace said. "Not only do we need to modernize and expand these facilities to meet current and future needs, we need to ensure consistent and dedicated funding to allow for proper maintenance to protect taxpayers' investment in these assets."

Spending on infrastructure in California has dropped from nearly 20 percent of general fund revenues in the early 1960s to less than 3 percent today despite the state's tremendous population growth.

Two new CalRAC "Focus on Infrastructure" documents include the following recommendations:

-- Passage of the school bond measures on the ballot in 2002 and 2004;

-- Promote construction of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly facilities that reduce heating and cooling costs as replacements for expensive, aging buildings;

-- Aggressively pursue federal grants to help pay for school construction;

-- Explore applying the 55-percent vote needed to pass school bonds to other types of public buildings;

-- Explore innovative joint uses of facilities, such as making schools available to community organizations before or after classes -- as many districts have done -- and including commercial space in civic facilities.

The Focus on Infrastructure documents are available at www.calrac.org/infra.agenda.html. CalRAC is a broad-based, nonprofit organization whose members include local governments, business organizations, and others who support funding for California infrastructure facilities at levels sufficient to sustain them.

CalRAC has actively supported ACA 11, a constitutional amendment that would dedicate up to 3 percent of the state's general fund expenditures toward state and local infrastructure projects. ACA 11 passed both houses of the Legislature on the final night of the 2001-2002 session and is set to appear on the March, 2004 ballot.