There are only four statewide ballot measures on the March 2 ballot. Considering how many different proposals California voters have had to decide, the limit of four is a great thing.

Of the ballot measures, the easiest one to recommend is Proposition 55, a bond measure to help pay for repairs and modernization of schools statewide.

There’s a payoff around the state, and there’s one close to home. The vast majority of the money — more than $10 billion — would go to the levels of kindergarten through 12th grade. Higher education would get the rest — $620 million for University of California projects, $620 million for state colleges and $920 million for community colleges.

There’s also money available for the construction of charter schools.

The way the bond measure is set up, K-12 districts would pay for half of any new construction and 60 percent for modernizing. However, poor districts would be able to turn in a "hardship" petition, which could result in even more funding.

Proposition 55 is actually the second half of some $25.3 billion that the Legislature put in front of voters earlier. The first half, a $13-billion bond measure, was approved by voters in November 2002.

Although we read that Santa Cruz-area schools are closing because of dropping enrollment, that’s far from true elsewhere in the state. New school construction is necessary in various communities around the state — and so is modernization.

Providing new and clean schools is the only responsible course of action for today’s voters. Even those whose children are already grown and out of school do have some responsibility to continue providing decent facilities. In fact, Santa Cruz County Superintendent Diane Siri says it best: not voting for the bond would be "a short-term saving for a long-term loss."

UC Santa Cruz Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood also supports the bond measure. She says the money will help finish up some jobs here locally, including much-needed expansion and repair of the McHenry Library, one of the most important such institutions in the state.

Greenwood also touted the shared fiscal aspect of the vote: that all levels of education are being helped, from kindergarten through graduate school. She said that different institutions — public schools, community colleges and state colleges and universities — should not have to fight each other for funding.

We agree that Proposition 55 is important to the future of California schools. With all of the state’s financial problems, seeing through this second half of a funding mechanism to help schools statewide is the responsible thing to do. We urge voters to approve Proposition 55.