The Bee was exactly right in comparing the Proposition 55 school bond to a mortgage ("Good debt, bad debt," Our views, Feb. 15). A mortgage pays for the long-term benefit of a house, and in California school bonds (loans) help pay for the long-term benefit of school facilities. They help build, maintain and renovate our schools.So Proposition 55 isn't about how much the state should pay for education each year. That's another debate.

Proposition 55 is about bricks-and-mortar. The facilities need to be built and in good working order first. Then we can work out yearly educational "household" spending -textbooks, supplies, salaries and the like.

That's why educators and business leaders across the state support Proposition 55, and why groups like the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Taxpayers Association and the California State PTA have joined together to support it.

And that's why you should consider the merits of Proposition 55 on March 2.

Alexander Gonzalez, Sacramento President, CSUS

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I hope citizens will give a little more thought to Proposition 55 before voting than they have in the past. One has to wonder where the billions of dollars go that are poured into the bottomless pit called education.
The approval of Proposition 98 committed 40 percent of our state budget to education. We are still faced with several propositions per year asking approval for billions of additional dollars.

We have no idea how the money is spent statewide and only a partial accounting of our local school district funds. Meanwhile, we hear teachers complaining about how much of their personal funds they spend every year for classroom supplies. We hear students complaining about leaking toilets and fountains, poor air conditioning and heating, etc.

I will not vote to give the education system another dime until we receive a complete accounting of how the funds are spent. Maybe we should reduce some administrative salaries a few dollars per year to pay for pencils and paper.

Maurice Picard, Chico

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On March 2, California voters are being asked to approve Proposition 55, a K-12/Higher Education bond that would provide $12.3 billion to improve student learning by fixing rundown classrooms in need of repair and building new schools to relieve overcrowding and reduce class sizes.
Of this amount, more than $8 million would go to Cal Maritime to fund a ship simulation center for its students, the future work force of the maritime industry.

One of the smallest and most unique campuses of the California State University, Cal Maritime boasts a nearly 100 percent job placement rate that is directly attributed to the unique experiential learning curriculum.

Voters can rest assured that Proposition 55 contains strict accountability standards that guarantee school bond funds will go directly to repair and build new classrooms, not on bureaucracy or waste. Independent audits, cost controls and other requirements guard against waste and mismanagement and provide oversight of all school projects. In fact, so great are the accountability standards that the California Taxpayers' Association says, "Proposition 55 is a fiscally responsible way to finance school repair and construction."

Vote yes on Proposition 55.

Bruce Johnston, Loomis