Kerr is president of the California Teachers Association. Hovenic is president of the San Diego Business Roundtable for Education.

San Diego children need better schools

Every child deserves a clean, safe place to learn if we expect them to succeed. But is that what we're providing our kids in our local schools?

At Grossmont High School, for example, floors have deteriorated, pipes have rusted, and the electrical wiring needs to be replaced. The outdated ventilation system needs a complete overhaul, and classroom overcrowding is common. The roof leaks so badly that during rain, students have to cover their computers with plastic trash bags.

Poway High School will need new ceilings installed in 60 classrooms.

And Holmes Elementary, on top of major roof and electrical problems, must replace its playground equipment to meet state and federal safety regulations.

Proposition 55, the statewide school repair and construction bond on California's March ballot, is desperately needed – now – to give our kids the clean, safe schools and classrooms they need to improve test scores and meet higher academic standards.

Proposition 55 will provide school districts in San Diego the matching state funds we need to repair aging schools, and to build new classrooms to relieve overcrowding and reduce class sizes. It's an investment in our kids and in our future.

We cannot afford to wait to pass Proposition 55, because our local schools need help. In San Diego County, an estimated $346 million is needed in state matching funds, just to complete the repairs necessary for local schools. What's more, San Diego County schools will also need another $845 million to build new classrooms, new schools, to keep up with growing enrollment and ease overcrowding.

Our kids deserve better. While we've made good progress improving our kids' schools, we still have a long way to go. And we're not alone.

More than a million California children are forced to learn in rundown, outdated schools where bathrooms don't work, where roofs leak, and in classrooms without heating and air conditioning. Seventy-three percent of California classrooms are more than 25 years old.

Also, California has the third-most overcrowded classrooms in the nation; millions of students aren't able to get the individual attention from teachers they need. Teachers can't teach and kids can't learn in these conditions, and a look at those conditions demonstrates just how badly we need Proposition 55.

Proposition 55 will fix rundown schools, repair leaky roofs and fix broken bathrooms. It will help us build the 22,000 new classrooms we need in California to deal with growing student enrollment, to relieve overcrowding and to reduce class sizes – helping to ensure teachers can spend more one-on-one time with kids and improve learning.

You can vote for Proposition 55 with confidence that strict accountability measures will ensure that funds get spent directly on school repair and construction, not on waste and mismanagement. Independent audits, cost controls and annual reviews provide strict accountability over every school project funded by Proposition 55.

That's why the California Taxpayers' Association says "Proposition 55 is a fiscally responsible way to finance school repair and construction." Respected fiscal watchdog groups like the California Chamber of Commerce and California's State Treasurer all agree that California and its economy can afford Proposition 55. And so does the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and San Diego Business Roundtable for Education.

More importantly, these same groups all agree that our kids and our economy cannot afford to wait to pass this important measure. That's why parents, local teachers, business leaders, seniors, taxpayer groups and community leaders all strongly support Proposition 55.

On March 2, please vote Yes on Propositon 55 to fix our local schools now.