Bellflower Unified holds first reading of $135 million bond measure for November ballot

The Bellflower Unified School District board received a first reading of Resolution No. 2026-0618, which would place a Proposition 39 bond measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot asking voters to authorize up to $135 million in school construction and modernization projects.

Mark Farrell of Dale Scott & Company presented the financial assumptions underlying the draft measure, telling the board that the resolution in their packet reflects the amount tested in the district's survey. "The tax rate assumption was a maximum of $49 per $100,000 of assessed value," Farrell said, adding that using a $49 rate with the district's average assessed value of $457,615 would mean about $224 a year for the average homeowner (roughly $19 per month).

Meredith Johnson, the district's bond counsel, outlined required accountability measures under Proposition 39 if voters approve the bond: a citizen's oversight committee, annual performance and financial audits, and a project list that will be printed in the sample ballot. "Exhibit B is the project list derived from the recent facilities master plan," Johnson said, noting that the board must be comfortable with the listed projects because they will be presented to voters in advance.

Farrell and Johnson emphasized that the dollar amounts and the timing of bond issuances would remain under the board's control even if voters approve the measure: each bond issuance would later return to the board for approval. Board members asked several clarification questions about oversight, audits and the tax-rate statement that will appear in the sample ballot.

The board took no final action on the resolution at the meeting; the presentation served as the required first reading and informational review ahead of any later vote to place the measure on the ballot.