SACRAMENTO—Following a statewide measure on March’s primary ballot, California voters have rejected a $15 billion bond to renovate the state’s aging schools.

According to a report by CBS Sacramento, Prop 13 promised to provide funds for new construction and repairs at campuses dealing with problems like leaky roofs, old wiring and toxic mold. It needed a simple majority to pass. But the “no” votes had a comfortable lead immediately after the March 3 election and only tightened slightly as several million additional ballots were counted.

According a statement from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, “Opponents said California has a large budget surplus and shouldn’t borrow more money. Taxpayers would have owed an estimated $11 billion in interest over the next 35 years as a result of Prop. 13.”

Republican state Sen. Brian Jones said voters “rightly wondered why the state was trying to pass more bonds and hike taxes rather than using those budget surpluses to help schools?”

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association led the opposition, which took particular issue with a provision that would have increased the limit on what a local school district could borrow, from 1.25% to 2% of assessed property value. The group feared that could have led to future tax increases to pay back the debt and said that the state should fund school facilities itself rather than adding to school districts’ debt.

California Governor Gavin Newsom—a supporter of this proposition— argued that the need for school repairs was crucial. The proposal was backed by teachers and firefighter unions, school boards and Democratic state lawmakers.

According to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California, 70% of California’s 10,000 public schools are 25 years or older, with 10% of them at least 70 years old.

Approximately $9 billion from the measure would have gone to K-12 schools, with priority given to addressing health and safety concerns such as removing asbestos and eliminating lead from drinking water.

Of that, $5.8 billion would have went toward improving school facilities; $2.8 billion for new construction; and $500 million each for charter schools and facilities for technical education.

According to local media, this proposition also would have allocated $6 billion for higher education, which last benefited from a statewide bond measure in 2006. The funding would have been split evenly, with $2 billion each for community colleges, the California State University system and the University of California system.

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“Rhode Island College is proud to be part of this historic collaboration between the public and private sectors,” Rhode Island College President Dr. Nancy Carriuolo said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “…The Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, will help our state grow the educated workforce it needs to meet the changing needs of its number-one industry sector: health care."

The project will renovate and repurpose the vacant and abandoned South Street Power Station on Providence’s Eddy Street. This point in particular inspired Mayor Angel Taveras to refer to the project as a “transformational moment” for the state’s economy, according to the Providence Journal. The project is also expected to create up to 500 new construction jobs, as well nearly 400 indirect jobs, generating a potential $5 million in new tax revenue.

The Nursing Education Center is also expected to advance Rhode Island’s role as a regional leader in health care and nursing education. In addition to establishing new classrooms and related office space, the project will include extensive improvements to the site’s existing power plant as well as the construction of a new six-story graduate student housing facility, a new 650-space parking structure and various landscaping and site improvements.

An agreement reached by the three institutions in early 2014 will divide the roughly 265,000-square-foot complex in half, with one portion reserved for Brown University offices and the other dedicated to learning and teaching spaces for the other two institutions. The project currently aims for a mid 2016 completion.

“Reaching this important milestone in this highly complex project has required the commitment and tenacity of our private and public sector partners,” said Brown President Christina Paxson, in a statement. “Today, we set the stage to transform a staggering liability into a gleaming asset, providing opportunities for meaningful academic connections that will have lasting benefits for our institutions, our city, and our state.”

“The Nursing Education Center will certainly play a role in the economic recovery of our state,” added Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello. “The training that our future nurses and health care professionals will receive at this first-class facility will open the door for good-paying job opportunities. I am so pleased that the state has made this investment in support of three great institutions of Brown, URI and RIC to make this groundbreaking possible.”

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