Where Nearly $2 Billion in School Bonds Go, Union and Construction Money Flow

The four major school districts in Fresno, plus the community college district, are asking voters to approve $1.8 billion in new bonds on the Nov. 5 ballot.

 “You can almost put it on the ballot … and do some very basic communication, and the bond is I likely to get 55% unless there’s some politics going on separately that for some reason has upset people.” — Fresno campaign consultant Jason Carns

Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified, Central Unified, Sanger Unified and State Center Community College District are seeking voter approval for bonds, which the districts say will help improve infrastructure.

GV Wire education reporter Nancy Price reported this is the first time that all four are making the ask in the same election. Practically every voter in Fresno will see a local school bond measure.

Already, committees are raising big bucks to raise funds to support the measures. Unions are also contributing to candidates in various school district races.

Several construction companies — as the industry has in past bond elections — are contributing to efforts to pass the bonds. The conventional wisdom: Approved bonds lead to many millions in construction projects for local companies.

In addition, unions try to help elect candidates who support project labor agreements — contracts between the school districts and unions that would require union labor on designated projects.

Recent elections show success. Voters generally approve bond measures — which increase property taxes. Approval requires 55%, which is easier than approving certain sales tax measures requiring two-thirds passage.

Bonds have a strong track record of passing, said Fresno political campaign manager Jason Carns. He sees them passing again this November.

“You can almost put it on the ballot … and do some very basic communication, and the bond is I likely to get 55% unless there’s some politics going on separately that for some reason has upset people,” Carns said.

Bonds for Clovis and Central unified failed in March 2020. The districts put them on the ballot again in November 2020, and both passed.

Voters to Decide $1.8 Billion in Bonds

The four school district bonds plus SCCCD total $1.8 billion — although no single taxpayer will be on the hook for that entire amount, as it is spread across several jurisdictions. But $698 million  would go to SCCCD, raising an an estimated $42 million a year.

Because SCCCD’s jurisdiction is vast — in includes all of Fresno County, plus parts of surrounding counites — the property tax increase is only $20 per $100,000 of property value. Current SCCCD taxes are at $21 per $100,000 of property value.

Fresno Unified — which currently charges $207 in property tax per $100,000 in value — would go up $60.

Unions Backing School Board Candidates

Construction trade unions are backing several candidates in the Fresno Unified and SCCCD races.

“It is a critical factor. It is a deal breaker factor. It is amongst the highest, most critical priorities.” — Dillon Savory, executive director, Central Labor Council, talking about candidate support for Project Labor Agreements

Carns is running the campaigns of Claudia Cazares, James Martinez, and Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas in Fresno Unified; and Pablo Villagrana and Danielle Parra in SCCCD. He said unions are looking for candidates to serve the community.

“They’re also looking for somebody who is going to be an ally of labor, who is going to … work with them on the board to ensure that the hard workers out there all get appropriate compensation and benefits,” Carns said.

One of those issues is PLA.

Dillon Savory, executive director for the Central Labor Council — an advocacy group for several area labor unions — said PLA support is a major reason for campaign financial contributions.

“It is a critical factor. It is a deal breaker factor. It is amongst the highest, most critical priorities,” Savory said.