Over the next five years, California will need 22,000 new classrooms to deal with overcrowding and increasing enrollments. Aging school buildings must be repaired and upgraded -- not with luxury items but to take care of basics such as leaky roofs and broken bathrooms.

That's why we strongly endorse Proposition 55, a bond measure on the March 2 ballot that will raise another $12.3 billion to build and repair K-12 schools as well as our colleges and universities.

The measure is supported by elected officials and organizations, from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Taxpayers Association and the California Chamber of Commerce to the California Teachers Association, the California State PTA and the UC Board of Regents.

This near-unanimous support is an indication of just how urgently the state's creaky educational infrastructure needs shoring up. Already identified are hundreds of projects awaiting state support so they can get under way. Many will be completed with locally raised matching funds.

"It's about jobs," said Phil Day, chancellor of City College of San Francisco, pointing out that new and improved school facilities would not only create employment during construction but would help "feed the economy" over a longer term.

For example, three Albany elementary schools would receive $4 million to upgrade electrical systems, remove asbestos and replace fire sprinklers and alarms. The San Francisco schools would receive $31 million for projects like converting a historic building to the Schools of the Arts High School.

The Mt. Diablo Unified School District would use $16 million for numerous projects, including replacing exterior doors and hardware and upgrading the gymnasium floor at Concord High School, and repairing restrooms at Shore Acres Elementary School.

UCSF's Medical Science building would spend $16 million to repair and upgrade its heating systems, convert its existing steam heat system to a more efficient hot water system, seismic upgrades and numerous other projects. Foothill Community College in Los Altos would spend $9 million to build and equip a new science instruction complex.

If all of this sounds familiar, you're not mistaken. Two years ago, voters passed a similar $13 billion bond measure to begin the massive task of upgrading our schools.

Bond supporters acknowledge that even this latest bond will not complete the task. Yet they are cagey about how much more will be needed to do the job, and when they'll have to come back to ask voters to approve yet another bond measure. Voters are entitled to a full disclosure of what the needs of our schools are -- and how much it will cost to meet them.

Many voters understandably may worry that funds will not be spent for their intended purpose. To deal with those concerns, the bond revenues will be overseen by a State School Building Finance Committee, made up of the governor, the superintendent of public instruction, the state treasurer and controller, or their representatives. Regular audits must also be conducted annually or biannually at both a state and local level.

These concerns are overshadowed by the imperative of providing decent facilities for the nearly 7 million young people and adults in our public schools, colleges and universities. Proposition 55 will allow us to make essential investments necessary to shape California's future.