Nearly $100 million in classroom repairs and construction, seismic retrofitting, health and safety improvements, and facility and equipment upgrades will be at stake for Sacramento area public schools, community colleges and universities when California voters consider Proposition 203 this March 26. A two-year bond measure, Proposition 203 would provide $3 billion to repair, modernize and seismically retrofit California's public K-12 schools, community colleges, the California State University and the University of California. If the measure is approved, approximately $2 billion will go to K-12 schools and $975 million will be evenly divided by the community colleges, CSU and UC. It's the first time that capital funding for K-12 and postsecondary education has been combined in one bond measure. If approved, Proposition 203 investment bonds would be repaid over 25 years at an annual cost of $6.40 per Californian. Sacramento County public schools are slated to receive $39.6 million; Yolo County, $15,212; and Solano County, $5.6 million. Los Rios Community College District would receive $4.5 million; CSU-Sacramento, $7.6 million; and UC Davis, $38.8 million. The funds would be used for the following projects: K-12 Public Schools Public schools would use the funds for rebuilding and repairing existing facilities, building new classrooms to alleviate overcrowding and to accommodate expected growth, and wiring classrooms for computers and other technology. The California Department of Finance estimates that more than $17.4 billion will be needed during the next decade for new construction, modernization and maintenance of K-12 schools. "Over 140,000 new K-12 students show up at our classroom doors each year," said David P. Meaney, Sacramento County superintendent of schools. "More than half of the state's schools -- some constructed when Woodrow Wilson was president -- are older than the 30 years for which they were originally built. Our schools desperately need this bond funding, and the need in Sacramento County is more pronounced than in most areas of California." Los Rios Community College District First-year project: • $648,000 to remodel and expand the Cosumnes River College animal health complex. Proposed second-year projects: • an additional $202,000 for the animal health complex's remodeling and expansion • $239,000 for preliminary plans and working drawings for a Cosumnes River College child care development center • $3.2 million to equip Sacramento City College's learning resource center • and $215,000 for preliminary plans and working drawings for an American River College child care development facility. "The need to build new facilities and remodel old ones is one of the most critical issues facing community colleges," said Los Rios Chancellor Queen F. Randall. "An example is our animal health technology program, which prepares students to work in veterinary clinics and is the only program of its kind in the region. To meet rigorous accreditation requirements, the program's facilities must be remodeled." California State University, Sacramento First-year project: • $212,000 to provide infrastructure for classroom telecommunications technology. Second-year project: • $7.4 million for perimeter road safety improvements. "The ability of California's people to remain competitive in a world economy depends, in large measure, on our capacity to provide leading edge educational experiences for the large number of students who will be admitted to our state's colleges and universities," said CSUS President Donald R. Gerth. "This bond will allow us to continue to provide facilities to prepare well-educated students who are ready and able to take their place in the work force." University of California, Davis First-year project: • $15.3 million to construct a new wastewater treatment plant. The current plant was constructed in 1949 and expanded in 1970 and no longer has sufficient capacity. Second-year projects: • $10.8 million for seismic and accessibility improvements to Walker Hall, a building constructed in 1927 and now rated seismically "poor" • $72,000 to equip a new environmental services facility where campus-produced hazardous waste will be collected and prepared for shipment • $12.6 million to construct a contained research facility that would provide a controlled environment for the study of agricultural pests and diseases. The federal government would fund half of the project's cost. "These health and safety projects are critically important to the Davis campus," said UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef. "They represent our most urgent repair and construction needs and they depend fully on Proposition 203 funding." Proposition 203 has been endorsed by such groups as the California Taxpayers Association, California Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of California, Congress of California Seniors, California State Employees Association, California Labor Federation AFL-CIO, California State PTA, and the boards of the University of California, California State University and the California Community Colleges. Opponents of the measure argue that the bond act will increase the state's bonded indebtedness. They recommend leasing vacant commercial real estate to solve the problem of overcrowded classrooms and contend that students should pay the full cost of their education, including the bill for building and renovating educational facilities.