There are two ways a measure can be placed on the ballot.
- The Legislature has the ability to place constitutional amendments, bond measures, and proposed changes in law on the ballot.
- Any California voter can put an initiative or a referendum on the ballot by following the "How to Qualify an Initiative" process.
A statewide ballot measure can be approved by a majority vote of the people. Certain local ballot measures require approval by a 55 percent or a two-thirds vote of the electorate.
To view measures that have qualified for the November ballot, see the California Secretary of State's website.
Proposition 2 (2024)
Proposition 2 is a school facilities bond measure on the ballot in the November 2024 election. Officially, the name of Proposition 2 is the Kindergarten through Grade 12 Schools and Local Community College Public Education Facilities Modernization, Repair, and Safety Bond Act of 2024.
Prop 2 would help provide funding for the renovation of aging schools; the upgrade of existing classrooms, the construction of new classrooms to accommodate growth; and the development of career technical education facilities to provide job training to meet the workforce needs of California employers. Prop 2 would also fund disaster assistance, the testing and remediation of lead levels in water at school sites; the replacement of 75-year-old buildings, the addition of essential facilities like libraries and multipurpose rooms; implementation of systems to reduce the impact of higher average temperatures; and establish assistance programs for small, rural, and low-wealth school districts.
California’s public school system serves 5.8 million students in more than 10,000 schools in 58 counties — and our State Constitution declares that public education is a state responsibility. Yet, the state program that provides school facilities funding to match the dollars raised by local communities is almost out of money. If passed, Prop 2 will generate $8.5 billion to fund facilities improvements at TK-12 public schools and another $1.5 billion for facilities upgrades at the state’s community colleges.
The Getting Down to Facts II survey, published by Stanford University and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), found that California needs to spend about $4.1 billion annually during this decade just to maintain public schools and more than $10 billion a year to fund modernization and new construction.
Prop 2 would help address these needs through:
- $3.3 billion for new construction
- $4 billion for modernization, $115 million of which will be set aside for testing water for lead and remediation efforts
- $600 million for career technical education, and
- $600 million for charter schools
In large part due to CSBA advocacy, the bond also includes a number of changes to provide additional resources and greater priority for low-income districts, small school districts and rural school districts, such as:
- Establishing a process to help provide small school districts with technical assistance
- Prioritizing small school districts with low bonding capacity and high percentages of youth in foster care, homeless youth and English learners, and
- Setting aside 10 percent of the new construction and modernization grant funding for small school districts.
Students spend many, if not most, of their waking hours on campus and research demonstrates that the physical school environment has a tremendous positive impact on student health as well as academic performance, behavior, and physical and mental health. Voting yes on Prop 2 is a vote for California students and California's future.
Resources
For more information, contact CSBA Legislative Director Chris Reefe at creefe@csba.org.