The seven-member committee will be charged with inspecting schools to ensure the work was done and reviewing financial reports on the projects. Currently, there is no limit to the amount a school board can ask for in a bond. Voters in March narrowly rejected Proposition 26, which would have reduced the local vote required for approval of school bond issues from two-thirds to a simple majority. Local school bonds are used to build and remodel schools and are repaid over several decades through property tax increases. Opponents to the ballot measure, such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, say the two-thirds requirement protects homeowners from large increases in property taxes.
Backers say the change is needed because many schools are overcrowded and outdated.