The Challenge and The Solution
The Challenge
The passage of the Proposition 39 school bond measure lowered the voting threshold from 2/3 to 55% but mandated that all Proposition 39 bond programs must be subject to independent citizen oversight.
In theory, that requirement seems sound, but practical experience has shown that such oversight is often less than fully affected.
This problem was documented in the February 2017 California Little Hoover Commission report and several county grand jury reports.
The main issue is inadequate training of newly formed citizen bond oversight committee (CBOC) members. Bond counsel typically provides such training, whose primary responsibility is to bond investors rather than taxpayers and the community.
The Solution
The state government has acknowledged the issue and has embraced a project to develop and deliver modern training modules crafted to meet the needs of CBOC members and other stakeholders.
The mission of the California Association of Bond Oversight Committees (CABOC), a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation, is to implement this program through a network of activists in each state’s geographic area.
Nothing in the public venue is more important than our students attending schools in safe and efficient facilities, but every tax dollar must be spent wisely; hundreds of billions are at stake.
CABOC is recruiting community volunteers who will enjoy a unique opportunity to help shape and launch this critical venture as a founding Board of Directors.
Will you join us in this effort?
Anton Jungherr and Jack Weir, Co-Founders