The Los Angeles Schools Bond Measure - Is It Needed?

On November 8th, the voters of who live in the Losstate will attend charter schools by the year 2014, with
Angeles schools district will be faced with their fourthperhaps an even higher percentage in the Los
proposition, called Measure Y. The $3.985 bondAngeles schools area. They cite that the number of
measure, which will be paid by property taxes, is forcharter schools would need to triple in order to
more planned expansion within the Los Angelesaccommodate all of the students currently on waiting
schools, allowing them to add another 25 elementarylists. With the smaller size and flexibility of charter
schools to the current list of 160 schools that areschools, they can be created and implemented in a
scheduled to be constructed by year 2012. Some ofvery short time, as compared to the large, traditional
the money also is slated for other needs, such as newLos Angeles schools that take years to construct.
school buses, repairs and charter schools.The second reason for the drastic drop in enrollment
The other three bond measures were passed for Losat the Los Angeles schools is birth and lifestyle trends:
Angeles schools new construction and repairs that? Los Angeles County statistics have shown that
were long overdue. Classrooms were literally fallinghundreds of fewer babies are being born in the county
apart, and classes were excessively overcrowdedeach year. The trend is expected to continue through
with year-round schedules for many schools. Theto the end of the decade.
previously passed measures underwrote the current? Upper income singles and couples with few children
160 schools on the list for construction.have replaced neighborhoods that were once inhabited
Many people, however, are asking if this fourthby large immigrant families. With the rising housing
measure is truly needed. According to the Losprices in the Los Angeles schools area, most young
Angeles Daily News, the traditional Los Angelesfamilies or families with many children can no longer
schools are slowly but steadily losing students fromafford to live there, opting to move to areas with lower
their rolls. Since the 2002-2003 school year, thecosts of living.
traditional Los Angeles schools have lost 4,471? Additionally, according to researchers at the Public
students. According to Los Angeles schools officials,Policy Institute of California, another trend is smaller
they expect another 4,304 to be dropped this year.immigrant families. In their 2002 report, they show that
There are several reasons for these drops inafter the first generation, immigrant families
enrollment.successively have smaller families.
First, one in every 20 students is choosing to attend aGlenn Gritzner, special assistant to the Los Angeles
charter or private school, rather than attend traditionalschools, says that the Los Angeles schools have
Los Angeles schools. The 88 charter schools withintaken the changes in demographics into consideration,
the state now enroll about three percent (aboutbut they are not critical enough to change the school
200,000) of the public school students. About 35,000 ofbuilding plans. Gritzner states that, if school plans and
these students attend charter schools within the Lostrends/statistics remain on course through 2012, there
Angeles schools. The number of charter schools withinstill will be 200,000 Los Angeles schools students in
the state continues to increase, with another 20 newportable classrooms and plenty of overcrowded Los
charter schools planned for this fall.Angeles schools remaining. Plus, trends are only
The California Charter Schools Association predictscurrent patterns that are subject to change. Measure
that ten percent of public school students within theY definitely is warranted.