Article 1. General Provisions of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 10. >> Chapter 1.5. >> Article 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature that all of the following are realized:
  (a) Vigorous efforts are undertaken to ensure that the expenditure of bond measures, including those authorized pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 1 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution, are in strict conformity with the law.
  (b) Taxpayers directly participate in the oversight of bond expenditures.
  (c) The members of the oversight committees appointed pursuant to this chapter promptly alert the public to any waste or improper expenditure of school construction bond money.
  (d) That unauthorized expenditures of school construction bond revenues are vigorously investigated, prosecuted, and that the courts act swiftly to restrain any improper expenditures.

(a) As an alternative to authorizing and issuing bonds pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15100) or Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15300), the governing board of a school district, community college district, or a school facilities improvement district may decide, pursuant to a two-thirds vote and subject to Section 15100 to pursue the authorization and issuance of bonds pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 1 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution and subdivision (b) of Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution. An election may only be ordered on the question of whether bonds of a school district, community college district, or a school facilities improvement district shall be issued and sold pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution at a primary or general election, a regularly scheduled local election at which all of the electors of the school district, community college district, or school facilities improvement district, as appropriate, are entitled to vote, or a statewide special election.
  (b) Upon adopting a resolution to incur bonded indebtedness pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution and after the question has been submitted to the voters, if approved at the election, the bonds shall be issued pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 1 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution and this chapter, and the governing board may not, regardless of the number of votes cast in favor of the bond, subsequently proceed exclusively under Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15100) or under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15300), as appropriate. Where not inconsistent, the provisions of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15100) or Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15300), as appropriate, shall apply to this chapter.

The total amount of bonds issued, including bonds issued pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15100), shall not exceed 1.25 percent of the taxable property of the district as shown by the last equalized assessment of the county or counties in which the district is located. The bonds may only be issued if the tax rate levied to meet the requirements of Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution in the case of indebtedness incurred by a school district pursuant to this chapter, at a single election, would not exceed thirty dollars ($30) per year per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of taxable property when assessed valuation is projected by the district to increase in accordance with Article XIII A of the California Constitution. For purposes of this section, the taxable property of a district for any fiscal year shall be calculated to include, but not be limited to, the assessed value of all unitary and operating nonunitary property of the district, which shall be derived by dividing the gross assessed value of the unitary and operating nonunitary property within the district for the 1987-88 fiscal year by the gross assessed value of all unitary and operating nonunitary property within the county in which the district is located for the 1987-88 fiscal year, and multiplying that result by the gross assessed value of all unitary and operating nonunitary property of the county on the last equalized assessment roll.

(a) Notwithstanding Sections 15102 and 15268, any unified school district may issue bonds pursuant to this article that, in aggregation with bonds issued pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15100), may not exceed 2.5 percent of the taxable property of the district as shown by the last equalized assessment of the county or counties in which the district is located. The bonds may only be issued if the tax rate levied to meet the requirements of Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution in the case of indebtedness incurred pursuant to this chapter at a single election, by a unified school district, would not exceed sixty dollars ($60) per year per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of taxable property when assessed valuation is projected by the district to increase in accordance with Article XIII A of the California Constitution.
  (b) Notwithstanding Sections 15102 and 15268, any community college district may issue bonds pursuant to this article that, in aggregation with bonds issued pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15100), may not exceed 2.5 percent of the taxable property of the district as shown by the last equalized assessment of the county or counties in which the district is located. The bonds may only be issued if the tax rate levied to meet the requirements of Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution in the case of indebtedness incurred pursuant to this chapter at a single election, by a community college district, would not exceed twenty-five dollars ($25) per year per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of taxable property when assessed valuation is projected by the district to increase in accordance with Article XIII A of the California Constitution.
  (c) In computing the outstanding bonded indebtedness of any unified school district or community college district for all purposes of this section, any outstanding bonds shall be deemed to have been issued for elementary school purposes, high school purposes, and community college purposes, respectively, in the respective amounts that the proceeds of the sale of those outstanding bonds, excluding any premium and accrued interest received on that sale, were or have been allocated by the governing board of the unified school district or community college district to each of those purposes respectively.
  (d) For purposes of this section, the taxable property of a district for any fiscal year shall be calculated to include, but not be limited to, the assessed value of all unitary and operating nonunitary property of the district, which shall be derived by dividing the gross assessed value of the unitary and operating nonunitary property within the district for the 1987-88 fiscal year by the gross assessed value of all unitary and operating nonunitary property within the county in which the district is located for the 1987-88 fiscal year, and multiplying the result by the gross assessed value of all unitary and operating nonunitary property of the county on the last equalized assessment roll. In the event of the unification of two or more school districts subsequent to the 1987-88 fiscal year, the assessed value of all unitary and operating nonunitary property of the unified district shall be deemed to be the total of the assessed value of the taxable property of each of the unifying districts as that assessed value would be determined under Section 15268.
  (e) For the purposes of this article, "general obligation bonds," as that term is used in Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, means bonds of a school district or community college district the repayment of which is provided for by this chapter and Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15100) of Part 10, and includes bonds of a school facilities improvement district the repayment of which is provided for by this chapter and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15300).

The governing board of a school district or community college district may proceed pursuant to this chapter on behalf of a school facilities improvement district that is created by and under the exclusive authority of the school district or community college district and act on behalf of the school facilities district as provided pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15300).

In addition to the ballot requirements of Section 15122 and the ballot provisions of this code applicable to governing board member elections, for bond measures pursuant to this chapter, the ballot shall also be printed with a statement that the board will appoint a citizens' oversight committee and conduct annual independent audits to assure that funds are spent only on school and classroom improvements and for no other purposes.

If it appears from the certificate of election results that 55 percent of the votes cast on the proposition of issuing bonds pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 18 of Article XVI of the California Constitution are in favor of issuing bonds, the governing board shall cause an entry of that fact to be made upon its minutes. The governing board shall then certify to the board of supervisors of the county whose superintendent of schools has jurisdiction over the district, all proceedings had in the premises. The county superintendent of schools shall send a copy of the certificate of election results to the board of supervisors of the county.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a county board of education may not order an election to determine whether bonds may be issued under this article to raise funds for a county office of education.