In the March 5 election, Culver City residents voted to approve Measure E, “authorizing the Culver City Unified School District to issue $358 million in bonds, levying $60 per $100,000 in assessed value, for the purpose of school improvements.”
The measure passed 60.37 percent of the vote, with 39.63 percent voting “no.” It required a 55 percent majority to pass.
Measure was written on the ballot as, “To upgrade neighborhood schools with locally-controlled funding; improve classrooms/instructional technology for college/career readiness; fix leaky roofs, crumbling ceilings and aging, deteriorating electrical, plumbing, fire safety and security systems; repair, construct, and acquire classrooms, labs, facilities, sites, equipment; shall Culver City Unified School District’s measure authorizing $358,000,000 in bonds at legal rates be adopted, levying 6¢ per $100 of assessed value, raising $22,000,000 annually while bonds are outstanding, with independent, public oversight/audits?”
“We are tremendously grateful to everyone in the school district, city of Culver City, and community at large that contributed to the success of Measure E,” said Culver City Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Lucas in a statement. “We’re pleased that the community agrees: it’s simply time to make these urgent repairs and safety upgrades to our aging schools, and make sure CCUSD students have the classrooms, labs and technology needed to compete for college and careers. The boost is going to be a tremendous asset for the future of our schools and for our community. Making the effort to pass this bond now gives CCUSD significant time and financial advantages.”
Measure has polarized residents in recent weeks, with many people writing to the News to have their say.
Robin Turner said that they were voting “no” because the school district squanders money. “The first time they submitted a ballot measure to tap into our property taxes, they stated definitively that they would NEVER come back and ask for additional funds from our properties again. THEY LIED! They have come back several times since then, and now they want much more from the property owners. Enough is enough! It is time for the School Board to work within their budget (like we all do), and change their bad financial habits to become efficient.”
Turner was also concerned, they said, because “the district brings in troubled kids that were thrown out of their schools outside of the Culver City District, who promote fighting and bring weapons onto our campuses, which costs us more money in security and security personnel just so the District can make a minimal amount of money by taking in these kids. This practice has to stop.”
On the other hand, Diana Wade said that, “Culver City Unified is rated among the top 20 percent of all public school districts in California and is a key reason why many families move into our district. But many school buildings date back to the 1950s and have not had significant renovations in decades. Measure E is an educational facilities bond to fund necessary repairs and updates to our public schools: to fix leaky roofs, falling ceiling tiles, outdated wiring, flooding caused by poor drainage and old plumbing, and more. It will also upgrade inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning units that contribute to poor air quality, and update science labs, libraries and instructional technology to better prepare our students for college and careers.”
Measure E has now passed.