Voter approval of Proposition 55 on the March ballot could result in the Fontana Unified School District receiving $100 million for school construction projects, according to district officials.

If Prop. 55 passes, the FUSD would be eligible to receive funding for its fifth high school, its eighth middle school, and four or five new elementary schools, as well as funding for modernization of existing facilities more than 25 years old.

The statewide bond measure would provide a total of $12.3 billion in bonds to relieve overcrowding, reduce class size and repair and upgrade California's elementary, middle and high schools, community colleges, and universities.

Fontana would receive a relatively large share of that money because of the tremendous growth in student enrollment in the local district.

Prop. 55 is the second half of a two-part statewide education bond package. The first half (Prop. 47) was approved by California's voters in 2002, and Fontana received more than $100 million in construction funds as a result of its passage.

STATEWIDE, school officials are strongly supporting Prop. 55 because California has the second-most overcrowded classrooms in the country.

In California, 22 percent of all K-12 public school students are on year-round class schedules because there isn't enough space in overcrowded school districts, and one-third of all K-12 classrooms in the state are portable trailers.

Prop. 55, known as the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004, is supported by a large and diverse coalition of organizations.

Some of the supporters include the California State PTA, California Teachers Association, California Taxpayers' Association, California Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of California, Californians for Higher Education, California Federation of teachers, California Building Industry Association, and California Business Roundtable.

Prop. 55 requires that funds must be spent on school construction, not on overhead, and projects must comply with strict accountability requirements, including mandatory audits, to safeguard against waste and mismanagement.