Dublin Leads Advocacy Efforts for State Facilities Funding

Announcement submitted by Dublin Unified School District

The Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees has taken a leading role in advocating for state facilities funding for fast-growing school districts. As a result, the State Allocation Board (SAB), the body responsible for distributing facilities funding to schools throughout California, has agendized a discussion to potentially trigger

Level 3 developer fees and to explore an alternative funding plan to aid districts, like Dublin, who are in immediate need of funding relief.

Three Trustees and Superintendent Hanke returned to Sacramento on April 20 for another important day advocating for the district’s facilities’ needs. Representing the entire Board and the Dublin community, Trustees Dan Cunningham, Megan Rouse and Amy Miller spoke to local legislators and the SAB, expressing the immediate need for facilities funding relief.

Trustees spoke specifically about the extreme financial hardship the district is facing, as well as the considerable support that the community has already demonstrated in passing multiple local general obligation bonds. A new SAB regulation was proposed by the district that would provide funding through an “advance” from the state to the SAB for projects on the “acknowledged list” of school facilities projects that have not yet been funded.

The funds for the proposed “advance” would originate from the 2016-17 budget for districts like Dublin, who meet certain “extreme financial hardship” criteria. The funds advanced would serve as a “bridge” for identified fast- growing districts with projects already completed or “shovel-ready” projects about to begin.

For Dublin, that could mean reimbursement for Amador Elementary School and funding for the Jordan Ranch school (E-5), which is due to begin construction in the summer of 2016. The “advance” would be repaid to the state pending passage of the Public Education Facilities Bond Initiative in November 2016, the $9 billion school facilities bond. Also included in the proposed regulation is the immediate trigger for Level 3 developer fees if the state bond measure fails. The district would not be responsible for repayment of the “advance” as it represents funding that is already due to the district through the School Facility Program.

Dublin has been working closely with Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, a member of the SAB, on this alternative funding plan and Bonilla spoke in support of the plan during the meeting. Assemblymember Catharine Baker was present at the meeting to demonstrate her support and a staff member from State Senator Steve Glazer’s office spoke in favor of Dublin’s need for facilities funding relief.

The SAB agreed to agendize a discussion on both the merits of the proposed regulation and Level 3 developer fees. Level 3 fees are the highest legally allowed by Senate Bill 50, the legislation that governs school facilities funding. That discussion will take place at the SAB next’s scheduled meeting on May 25. Wednesday’s trip to the state capitol, the fourth by Dublin trustees and Dr. Hanke since January, also included the delivery of more than 1,100 letters signed by members of the Dublin community to the Office of Governor Jerry Brown.

The letters, which ask the Governor to support measures to reinstate school facilities funding – including the $9 billion state bond measure on the ballot in November - were hand-delivered to the Governor’s office by the Trustees and Dr. Hanke. The group was escorted by Assemblymember Baker, who arranged the delivery and spoke to the Governor’s staff in support of Dublin Unified.

Dublin became the first school district in the state to address the State Allocation Board on the topic of Level 3 developer fees on January 27.

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