The New $7 Billion School Bond

Early last week, the LA Unified School District's elected board of trustees was planning a $3.2 billion bond measure for the November ballot. But Mayor Villaraigosa had conducted a poll showing that voters would be willing to go for more. On Thursday, the board almost doubled its request from $3.2 billion to $7 billion, with $2 billion of that not earmarked for any specific projects.

In 1997, voters approved Proposition BB, a bond issue worth $2.4 billion, with the proviso that a citizens' advisory board would be set up to watch how the money was spent. Since then, $13 billion in bonds have been approved by the voters.