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DGS outlines staffing and administrative request to implement Proposition 2 school bond and expedite wildfire assistance
Summary
The Department of General Services requested authority for 16 positions and $59.5 million over five years to administer Proposition 2, the $10 billion school and community college facilities bond passed by voters in November 2024, and said the State Allocation Board has reserved general‑fund authority to provide expedited cash assistance to districts affected by recent wildfires.
The Department of General Services presented a budget change proposal to the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 to support implementation of Proposition 2, the school and community college facilities modernization, repair and safety bond act approved by voters in November 2024.
Rebecca Kirk, executive officer for the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC), said Proposition 2 authorizes $10 billion in bonds, of which $8.5 billion is for public school facilities (transitional kindergarten–12th grade). OPSC requested authority for 16 positions and $59,500,000 in expenditure authority over five years to implement the new programs and administer the school facility program. The request would add 14 positions to OPSC's current staffing (OPSC currently has 67 authorized positions) and two positions for other DGS divisions.
Kirk said that, at current processing rates of approximately $1.5 billion annually, the Proposition 2 workload represents roughly five and a half years of applications for OPSC. Historically, OPSC has been funded by statewide school facilities bonds, and she said that after those funds are expended the office would look to future statewide bond measures or legislative appropriations for administrative funding.
On wildfire response, Kirk said OPSC and the State Allocation Board have outreach underway to districts and charters affected by recent fires and that the board has reserved remaining general‑fund authority previously authorized for the program to provide expedited cash assistance through interim site funding or other mechanisms for districts that request help by August 2025. The reservation is intended to speed cash to districts that need immediate rebuilding assistance while districts can still pursue Proposition 2 bond authority later.
The subcommittee noted the district impacts from recent wildfires and the need to process applications and interim aid quickly; OPSC said it had already begun outreach to impacted districts and charter schools and was prepared to use reserved general‑fund authority to expedite assistance where the board approves it.
