By Jeannette Andruss
In November, voters approved Measure G, a $97 million school bond measure for the Los Alamitos Unified School District. Now, it’s your chance to help make sure that bond money is spent as promised on infrastructure improvements at the district’s nine schools.
LAUSD is now accepting applications for volunteers to serve on the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. The deadline to apply is January 11.
The committee’s main task will be to inform the public about its review of expenditures for both Measure G and Measure K, a $126 million bond measure which voters passed in 2008. Both bond measures were passed to fund upgrades, repairs and new construction projects at LAUSD campuses.
One of the first projects that could be funded with Measure G bond money is the building of a three-story, 83,000 square-foot classroom building at Los Alamitos High School at an estimated cost of $52.4 million, according to LAUSD.
The committee will be responsible for issuing an annual report on the expenditures and will be allowed to look at audits to conduct its work.
The appointments will be for a minimum two-year term and the committee will meet at least once a year. Committee meetings are open to the public.
The committee will be a minimum of seven members and, according to State law, must include the following:
• One member that is a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in LAUSD.
• One member that is both a parent or guardian of a student in LAUSD and is part of a parent-teacher organization.
• One member active in a senior citizens’ organization.
• One member active in a bona-fide taxpayers association.
• Two members of the community-at-large.
District employees and LAUSD contractors or vendors are not allowed to serve on the committee.
The oversight committee requirements were created in 2000 when California voters passed Proposition 39. Prop 39 established new oversight regulations as it allowed property tax increases for school facility bonds to be approved by 55 percent of the vote, down from two-thirds of the vote.
If you’re interested in applying for the LAUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, visit https://www.losal.org/domain/1754 or email Shoshana Dornblaser at sdornblaser@losal.org.
